The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-02-02
THE SUNSHINE OF RELIGION
REV. DIR. TALMAaE's SERMON

THNTs IftT tCUVS uTc tV0vS OF DtfuSnm.
psss Proverbs ill.,, H.
You have all heard Of Gods only begotteu
sor. Have you heard OF Gods daughter!
She was born in heaven. She came down
over the hills OF our world She had dusenly
step On her brow was celestial radiauce.
Her voice was music. Her name Is Religion.
Nv text intro iuces her. "Hsr ways are
yavs of pleassntnesS aud all her paths are
peace" {.
But what Is religions The fact is that
theological study has had different effect
upon me from the eff ct sometimes pro-
duced. Every year tear out another leaf
from my theology until have only three or
four leaves lett-in other words, very brief
and plain statement OF Christian belief.
An aged Christian minister said: when
I was young man. | knew everything:
when | got to he thirty-fve years OF age, in
nay ministry had only n hundred doctrines
OF religion; when got to be forty years OF
are, had only iifty doctrines OF reli zion;
wuen got to be sixty years OF age, | hal
only ten doctrines OF religion, ami now | am
dying at seveuty-tive years OF age, aud 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 If God and Of the eternal
world that IL is necessary TOR me to drop this
part OF my belief and that part OF my belief
as being nonessential, while | cling 10 the
one great doctrine that man Is sinner, and
Christ Is his Almighty and Divine Saviour.
Now take these three or four leaves OF
my theology, and tint that in the first
place. and dominant above all others, is the
sunshine OF re igtou When 90 into a room
have passion Tor throwing open all the
shutters. hat IS wnat | want To do this
morning. We are apt TO throw so much of
the sepuichral into cur reliy on and 70 close
the shutters AM To pull down the blinds
that IL Is only throu IN here and there Gre
vice that the II yht streams. The religion ot
the Lord Jesus CHRIST Is a religion oi JOY in
descrlb1ble and unutterable Wherever /
can find "A bell mean t. ring IL.
II there are any in this house this morn.
ins who are disposed TO hold on TO their
melancholy aud gloon. let them now depart
this service before ths iairsst ant the bright
est aud tho most IA ii1ut being OF all the
universe comes in. Gods Son has LETT our
world, bu5 Gods uau cher is here. Give her
room. Hail, princess ot heaven Hail,
daughter of the l. ord Col Almghtyl Come
IN aud make this house thy throneroom.
In tiing forth this idea the dominant
theory OF religion is one of sunshine |
hardly know where TO begin, for there are
50 many thoughts that rusa upon my soul
a mother saw her little enid seated on the
floor in the sunshine ami with "A spoon in her
hand. She said. "My darling, what are
you doing there" ''Oh " replied the child.
'.ni getting spoonful OF this sunshine"
Would Go that to-fay might present YOU
with cleaning chalice OF this glorious
everlasting Gospel sunshine!
FIRST of all, find "A great zeal of sunshine
In Christian society.
10 not know ot anything more doleful
than the companonsnip OF the mere tun-
makers OF the worlc-.he Thomas Hoods
the Charles Lambs, the Charles Matthews
OF the worlc-the men whose entire business
1t Is to make sport They make Others
I.NaN sN
ography or biography you viii find tn At
down III their soul there was n terrific dis.
quietude. Laughter is no sigu of happiness
The manaic laughs. The hyena Laughs The
loon among the Aiirondacks lauEa. The
drunkard, dashing his decanter against the
wpii, laughs.
Where is "A terrible reaction from all sinfu,
amusement ana sinful merriment. Suon
al Ceere cross the next day. They spap at
on exchange, or they pass you, not
S'coSn zing You. Long ago 1 quit mer5
worldly society Tor the reason IL was so dull
so insne and SO stupid. My nature is
voracious OF joy. | must have 1t.
always walk on tue sunny side OF the
street, AMI for that reason | have crossed
)yer into Christian society. like their mode
ot repartee better; / like their style OF
amusement better. They live longer
CHRISTIAN people, l sometimes notice live on
when by all natural law they Sugut 10 have
nave huOWn persons VINO nave con-
tlnued IN their existence when the doctor
said they ought to have been dead ten year,
Every day of their existence was defiance
OF the laws OF anatomy ant physiology. but
they had this supernatural viyaclty OF the
Hqspel IN their SOUL aud that kept them
alive.
Put ten or twelve Christian people in a
room for Christian conversation, anl you
viii from $ TO 10 O'Clock hear more resu uui-
Ing glee, see more brlght strokes OF wit and
hnd more thought and profound satlstac-
ton than in any merely worldly party.
Now, when | say IA worldly party" | mean
that to wh ch You are invitel, because un.
der all the circumstances OF the case 10 is
tue best for you 10 be invited, aud 10 which
you go because under all circumstances OF
the case IL is better that you 90 aud leaving
the shawls OH the second floor you go to this
parior 70 give formal salutation TO the host
all the hostess, and then move around
spending the wnp,e evening IN the discus
sion OF the weather, an in apology tor
treadng on long tralls aud in effort to keep
the corners of the mouth up 10 the sign
OF pleasure, anG going around with an
tdlotic he-he about nothing, until the colla-
ton Is served, an then after the collation.
Is served going back again into the parlor
90 resume the weather, and then at the close
going at very late hour TO the host and
hostess and assuring them that you have
hal most delightful evening, ami then pass
ing down or the front steps, the slam OF the
door the only satisfaction OF the evening.
%, young man, come from the country
to spend your days in city life, where are
you going to spend your evenings Let me
'ell you while there are many places Of in
nocent worldly amusement, IL Is most wise
Tor you to throw your boly, mind aui soul
into Christian society. Come to me at the
close OF five years and tell me what mas been
the result of this advice. Bring with you
the young man who refused to take the adj
wee and who went into sinful amusement
Tie VIII come dissipated. shabby in apparel
ma sposed to look any one in the eyes moral
eaaracter eighty-iive per cent. of. You will
'ome with principle settled, codntenancs
rank, habits good, soul saved and all the
inhabitants of heaven, from the lowest angel
up to the archangel and clear past him TO
InG Lord God Almighty, your coadjutors.
-, ms is not the advice of a misanthrope.
lhere Is no man in the house TO whom the
world Is brighter than it is 20 me. IL is not
%" advice OF a q spe?tic-aly digestion is
ler'ect; 1t is not the advice OF man who
cannot understand joke or who prefers a
funeral; II is not the advice OF wornout
man, but the advice of a man who can 500