The Globe-republican., 1893-02-17
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
ANOTHER DISCOURSE ON THE
LESSONS OF NATURE,
There L. Sunshine Of the Soul which Can
BE Found Only in the Religion Of Christ
There Are Wit, Humor, and Enduring
vivacity Among Gods People.
At the Tabernacle.

Rev. DR.. Talmage preached on ''Th'
Sunshine OF Religion" the text chosen
being Proverbs iii. II, "Her ways arr
ways of pleasantness."
You have all heard of Gods only be
gotten Son. Have you heard of God:
laughter? She was born in Heaven
She came down over the hills of Oul
world. She had queenly step. On heI
orow was celestial radiance. Her voice
gas music. Her name is Religion. My
ext introduces her. ''Her ways are
ways of pleasantness, and all her paths
are peace"
But what is religion? The fact is tina,
theological study has had q differen,
effect upon me from the effect sometimes
produced. 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 Chris.
tian belief.
An aged Christian minister said:
''When ! was young man knew every
thing; when l got to be 35 years of age
in my ministry bad only hundred doc.
trines of religion; when got to 40 years
Of aga l had only fifty doctrines
of religion; when got to be so years
Of age had only ten doctrines of re-
ligiOn, and now am dying at IS years
of age, and there is only one thing l
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 contemplation 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 /
cling to the one great doctrine that man
Is sinner and Christ IS his Almighty
and Divine Saviour.
Gods Own Daughter.
Now l take these three or four leaves
of my theology, and find that, in the
first place, and dominant above all
others. is the sunshine of religion. When
20 into room have q 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 shut
tiers, and to pull down the blinds. that it
is only through here and there q crevice
that the light streams. The religion of
the Lord Jesus Christ is q religion of joy
indiscribable and unutterable. Where
II there are any in this house this
morning who are disposed to hold on to
their melancholy and gloom, let them
now depart this service before the fair
est and the brightest and the most radi-
ant being Of all the universe comes in.
Gods Son has left our world, but Gods
daughter is here. Give her room! Hail!
Princess of Heaven. Hail! daughter of
the Lord God Almighty. Come In and
make this house thy throne-room.
In setting forth this idea the dominent
theory of religion is one of sunshine. I
hardly know where to begin, for there
are so many thoughts that rusn upon
my soul A mother saw her little
child seated Oh the floor in the sunshine,
and with a spoon in her hand. She said,
''My darling. what are you doing
there?" ''Oh," replied the child, ''rm
getting spoonful of sunshise." Would
God that to-day 1 might present you
with cleaning chalice of this glorious,
everlasting Gospel sunshine!
SORROWS of the Humorists.
do not know of ANYTHING more dnle-
full than the companiOnship of the mere
fun-makers of the wOrld-the Thomas
Hoods, the Charles Lambs, the Charles
Matthews of the world-the men whose
entire business is to make sport. They
make others laugh, but if you will ex.
anime their autobiography. or biography.
you will find that down in their soul
there was terrific disquietude. Laugh
ter is no siea Of happiness. The maniac
laughs. The hyena laughs. The loon
among the Adirondacks laughs. The
n la I'D do, y &c
the wall laughs.
There is terrible reaction from all
sinful amusement and sinful merriment
Such men are cross the next day. They
snap at you on exchange, or they pass
you, not recognizing you. Loug ago I
quit mere worldly society for the reason
It was so dull, so inane and so stupid.
My nature is voracious of joy. 1 must
have it.
always walk on the summing side Of
the street, and for that reason have
crossed over into Christian society.
like their mode of repartee better.
like their style of amusement better.
They live longer. Christian people,
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 q de- |
lance Of the laws .of anatomy and
but they had this supernat-
ural vivacity Of the Gospel In their |
'oul, and that kept them alive.
Christian Intellect and Repartee.
Put ten or twelve Christian people in |
} room for Christian conversation. and |
1ou will from to 10 o'clock hear more |
glee, see more bright strokes |
If wit and find more thought and pro-
'ound satisfaction than in any merely |
party. Now when I say q
worldly party" mean that to which
Tou are invited because under all the
Of the case it Is the best |
or you to be invited. and to which you
70 because under all the circumstances
" the case it 10 better that you go. and
eaving the shswls on the second floor
1ou 60 to the parlor to give formal
'alutati0n to the host and the hostess.
Ind then move around, spending the
Whole evening in the discussion Of the
Weather, and in apology for treading on
ong trails. and in effort to keep the cor
,ers OF the mouth up to the sign of pleas
Ire. and going around with IN idiotic
le-he about nothing. until the collation
l. 1