The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-09-06
AT BROOKLYN TABERNACLE
DIR. TALMAGE ON THE COMMON
PLACES OF LIFE.
Everyday Religion Is the True Test
of Piety-God Does Not Overlook the
Little Thinss-we should BE Thank
full for Small blessings.

classes; viz. Weekday Religion" The
text is from Proverbs iii. s, I'm all thy
ways acknowledge Him.
There has been a tendency in all lands
and ages to set apart certain days, places
and occasions for especial religious serv-
ice. and to think that they formed the
realm in which religion was chiefly to
act. Now. while holy days and holy
places have their use. they can never be
a substitute for continuous exercise of
faith and prayer.
In other words a man cannot be so
good Christian on Sabbath that he can
afford to be a wording all the week.
If a steamer start for Southampton and
sail one day in that direction and the
other six days sail in other directions.
how long before the steamer will get to
Southampton? Just as soon as a man
will get to heaven who sails on the Sab
bath day toward that which is good and
the other six days of the week sails to-
ward the world, the flesh and the devil.
You cannot eat so much at the Sabbath
banquet that you can afford religious alb
stinence all the rest Of the week.
Genuine religion is not spasmodic, does
not go by fits and starts, is not an at
tack 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 dan
gerous declivities. its eye ever on the
everlasting hills crowned with the cas-
ties Of the blessed.
1 propose, so far as God may help me,
to show you how we may bring Our re-
ligion into ordinary life and practice it
in common things-yesterday, today, to-
morrow
Religion I'm Common Things.
And. in the first place. I remark. we
ought to bring religion into our ordin-
AIRY conversation. A dam breaks and
two or three villages are submerged; a
South American earthquake swallows
a city and people begin to talk about
the uncertainty of human life, and in
that conversation think they are en-
gaging in religious service, when there
may be no religion at all. 1 have
noticed that in proportion as Christian
experience is shallow men talk about
funerals and deathbeds and hearses
and tombstones and epitaphs.
II a man have the religion Of the
gospel in its full power in his soul, he
will talk chiefly about this world and
peratively about the insignificant pass
between this and that. Yet how seldom
1t is that the religion Of Christ is
welcome theme? If a man full OF the
gospel of Christ goes into a religious
circle and begins to talk about sacred
things all the conversation is hushed
and things become exceeding awkward.
AS on a summer day, the forests full
OF song and chirp and carol, mighty
chorus of bird harmonies, every branch
IL
sky, all the voices are hushed. So
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, IL we have the re-
Hgion Of Christ in our souls, we will
talk about it in an eXhilerant mood. 1t
is more refreshing than the waters. 1t
is brighter than the sunshine, it gives a
man JOY here and prepares him for
everlasting happiness before the throne
of God. And yet, IL the theme of re-
ngion be introduced into a circle, every
thing is slenced-slenced 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: "Oh, yes;
that's sou
My friends, the religion Of Jesus Christ
is not something to be groaned about,
but something to talk about and sing
about, your face irradiated. The trouble
Is that men processing the faith Of the
gospel are often so in consistent that
they are afraid their conversation will
not harmonic with their life. We can
not talk the gospel unless we live the
gospel You will often find a man whose
entire life is full of inconsistencies filling
his conversation with such expressions
as I'VE are miserable sinners" the Lord
help US" the Lord bless you," inter
larding his conversation with such
MIR xrrhf nd
canting is the worst kind of hypocrisy.
II man have the grace Of God in his
heart dominant. he can talk religion, and
il will seem natural. and men instead of
being repulsed by it will be attracted by
il. 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 iii. Is, "Then they
that feared the Lord talked one to the
other, and the Lord hearkened and
heard. and book Of remembrance was
written"
But, 1 remark again we ought to bring
the religion OF Jesus Christ into our ordi-
nary employments. "Oh," you say, that's
a very good theory for a man who man
ages large business, who has great
traffic, who holds a great estate. 1t is a
grand thing for bankers and for shippers
but in my thread and needle store in
my trimming establishment, in my in
significant work Of life, you cannot apply
those grand gospel principles" Who
told you that? Do you not know that a
faded leaf on a brooks surface attracts
Gods attention as certainly as the path
of a blazing sun. and that the moss that
creeps up the side OF the rock attracts
Gods attention as certainly as the way
ing tops of Oregon pine and Lebanon
cedar, and that the cracking Of an alder
under cows hOOf sounds as loudly ir
Gods ear as the snap Of worlds con
cant thing in your life is of enough inn
Lord Cod Almighty?
Ny brother. you cannot be called tc
do anything so Insignificant but God will
Christ viii stand by you as he did bJ
you a drawer OF water? He will be witt
you at the well curb when talking will
the Samaritan woman. Are you Gus
tom house officer? Christ will call yot
as he did Matthew at the receipt OF Gus
tom. The man who has only . day..
wages in his pocket as certainly need,
religion as he who rattles the keys o
a bank and could abscond with a hun
bred thousand dollars. And yet Their,
are men who profess the religion OF jesus
Christ who do not bring the religion o
the gospel into their ordinary occupa
tons and employments.
There are in the churches Of this da,
men who seem very devout on the Sab
bath who are far from that during tn
week A country merchant arrives II
this city, and he goes into a store to bu,
crooda nf man Who rarCfaszez raIfexfor,