The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1893-02-03
TIE TRUE SUNSHINE.
DR.. TAlMAeE SAYS ONLY THE CHRIS
TAN CAN APPRECIATE lT.

| Whose Business II Is to Make Fun for
Characterization Society Is Whittier and
More Humorous Than Any Other
BROOKLYN, Jan. 29.-Rev, DR., Talmage
this forenoon preached to great audi
ence in the Tabernacle on "The Sunshine
of Religion" the text chosen being
Proverbs iii, H. Her ways are ways of
pleasantness.
You have all heard of Gods only be-
gotten Son. Have you heard Of Gods
daughters She was born in heaven. She
came down over the hills of our world.
She had queenly step. On her brow was
celestial radiance. Her voice was music.
Her name is Religion. My text intro
duces her. Her ways are ways of pleas
antness, and all her paths are peace"
But what is religion? The fact is that
theological study has had different Of
feet 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,
II very brief and plain statement of Chris
tain belief.
An aged Christian minister said:
f'When l was young man, knew
Everything; when got to be thirty-five
Years of age, in my ministry l had only a
hundred doctrines of religion; when
got to be forty years of age, had only
fifty doctrines of religioni when got to
he sixty years of age, had only ten doc
ltrines of religion, and now am dying at
seventy-fve years of age, and there is
only one thing | know, and that is
that Christ Jesus came into the world
/ Ito 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 neces-
sary for me to drop this part of my be-
lief and that part of my belief as being
nonessential, while cling to the one
great doctrine that man is sinner, an
Christ is his Almighty and Divine Saw
Eiour.
+ SUNSHINE OF THE HEART.
Now 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 l go
into Il room have passion for throw
ing 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 crevice
that the light streams. The religion of
the Lord Jesus Christ is religion of joy
indescriba5lo and unutterable. Wher-
ever can find a bell mean to ring it.
If there are any in this house this
;:aorn.ng w.o ;.le disposed to hold on to
Their melancholy and gloom, let them
uoY'I ,,epart la.s 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 throneroom.
In setting forth this idea the dominant
theory of religion is one of sunshine.
hardly know where to begin, for there
are SO many thoughts that rush upon my
soul. A mother saw her little child
seated on the floor in the sunshine and
with spoon in her hand. She said
My darling, what are you doing thereY
oh" replied the child, I'm getting a
spoonful of this sunshine" Would God
that today might present you with d
cleaning chalice of this glorious, ever
lasting Gospel sunshine!
First of all, find a great deal of sun.
shine in Christian society.
do not know of anything more dole.
full than the companionship of the mere
funmakers of the. world-the Thomas
Hoods, the Charles Lambs, the Charles
Matthews of the world-the men whose
entire business it is to make sport. They
make others laugh, but if you will e1.
anime their autobiography CT biography
you will find that down in their soul
there was terrific disquietude. Laugh
ter is no sign of happiness. The maniac
laughs. The hycna laughs. The loor
among the Adirondacl1s laughs. The
drhnkard, dasling his decanter against
the wall, laughs.
THE AWFUL REACTION.
There is terrible reaction from al
sinful amusement and sinful nerrhnent
Such men are cross the next day. They
snap at you on exchange, or thay 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 voracious of joy. mus
have it.
always walk on the sunny side of th>
street, and for that reason l have crosse;
over into Christian society. like thei1
mode Of repartee better; like their styli
of amusement better. They live longer
Christian people, sometimes notice, liv,
on when by all natural law they ougE'
to have died. have known persons who
have continued in their existence wheI
the doctor said they ought to have beer
y dead ten years. Every day of their ex
istence was defiance of the laws Of
anatomy and physiology, but they 'hat
this supernatural vivacity of the Gospe
in their soul. and that kept them alive.
Put ten or twelve Christian people il
a room for Christian conversation, ani
you will from to 10 o'clock hear more
resounding glee, see more bright strokes
of wit, and find more thought and pro
found satisfaction than in any merely
worldly party. Now, when / say ;
worldly party mean that to WHICH
you are invited, because under all the cir
rumstances Of the case it is the best 70,
you to be invited, and to which you g
because und II all circumstances of tn,
case it is better that you go, and leaving
the shawls on the second floor you go t,
the parlor to give formal salu
tation to the host and the hostess
and then move around spendin.
the whole e--ening in the discussion @
the weather, and in apology for tread
ing on long trails, and in effort to keel
the corners ! the mouth up to the sig,
of pleasure. md going around with al
, i7io,ic he-he about nothing, until til
collation. is served, and then after tn
collation. il served going back again in:
the parlor 70 resume the weather, All
, then at the close going at very LAT
hour TO tie host and hostess and assul