Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1893-02-17
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES SUN
DAY SERMON
Subject The Sunshine of Religion"


You have all heard OF Gods only begotten
Son. Have you heard Of COTS daughter?
She was born in heaven. Sha 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 introduces her. "Her ways are
ways of pleasantne5s, aud all her paths are
peace"
But what is religion The fact is that
theological study has had different effect
upon me from the eff sct sometimes pro-
duced. Every year / tear out another leaf
from my theology until have only three
four leaves left-in other words, a very brief
and plain statement Of Christian belief.
An aged Christian minister said: when
/ was young man, L knew everything;
when | got to be thirty-five years OF age, in
my ministry had only a 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
dying at seventy-five years of age. and there
is only one thing [ know, and that is that
Christ Jesus came into the world to
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 a sinner and
Christ is his Almighty and Divine Saviour.
Now take these three or four leaves of
my theology, and L find that, in the first
place, and dominant above all others, is the
sunshine OF religion. When go into room
have 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 shutters and to pull down the blinds
that it is only through here and there Gre
vice that the light streams. The religion OF
the Lord Jesus Christ is religion of joy in
describable and unutterable. Wherever |
can find bell mean to ring it.
If there are any in this house this morn
ing who disposed TO hold on to their
melancholy and gloom let them now depart
this service before the Iairest and the bright
est and the most radiant being of all the
universe comes in. Gods Son has left our
world, but Gods Gaugher is here. Give her
room. Hail, princess OF heavenI Hail,
daughter of the Lord God Almighty Come
in and make this house thy throneroom.
In sitting forth this idea the dominant
theory of religion is one of sunshine. l
hardly know where to begin, for there
so many thoughts that rush upon my soul.
A mother saw her little child seated on 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,
1'Pm getting spoonful of this sunshine"
Would Go that today might present you
with a cleaning chalice of this glorious.
everlasting Gospel sunshine!
First of all, find a great deal Of sunshine
in Christian society.
do not know of anything more doleful
than the cOmpaniOnShip of the mere fun
makers of the worid-the Thomas Hoods
the Charles Lambs, the Charles Matthews
of the wOrld-the men whose entire business
1t is to make sport. They make others
laugh. but if you will examine their autobi-
.Ography or biography you will find that
down in their soul there was a terrific dis
equietude. Laughter is no sign of happiness.
The manaic laughs. The hyena laughs. The
loon among the Adirondacks laugh The
drunkard dashing his decanter against 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, they pass you, not
recognizing. you. Long ago L quit mere
worldly society tor the reason Is was SO dull,
so inane and SO stupid. My nature is
voraclous of joy. [ must have 1t.
always walk on the sunny side Of the
street, and for that reason | have crossed
over into Christian society. like their mode
amusement better. They live longer.
Christian people, sometimes notice, live on
when by all natural law they ought to nave
died, | 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 defiance
of the laws of anatomy ana physiology, but
they had this supernatural vlvaclty OF the
'GOSpei IN their soul, and that kept them
alive.
Put ten or twelve Christian people in a
room for Christian conversation, AMI you
will from s to 10 o'clock hear more reSO uud-
ing glee, see more bright strokes of wit, and
find more thought and profound satlstac-
ton than in any merely worldly party.
Now, when say ''worldly party" l mean
that to which you invited, because I'M
der all the circumstances OF the case 1t Is
the best for you to be invited, and to which
YOU 90 because under all circumstances OF
the case il is better that you go, and leaving
the shawis on the second door you go to tn }
parior to give formal salutation to the host
AMI the hostess, and then move around
spending the whole evening IN the discus
sion of the weather, AMI Ia apology tor
treading on long trails, and in effort to keep
the corners of the mouth up ID the sign
of pleasure anG going around with an
ld1otlc he-he about nothing. until the COLA
ton is served, AMI then alter the collation.
Is served going back again into the parlor
to resume the weather and then at the close
going at a very late hour to the host and
hostess and assuring them that you have
had a most delightful evening, an then pass
ing down off the front steps, the slam of the
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 to spend your evenings? Let ME
tell you, while there are many places of in
nocent worldly amusement, it Is most wise
for you to throw your body, mind au1 soul
into Christian society. Come to me at the
close of five years and tell me what has been
the result of this advice. Bring with you
the young man who refused to take the adj
vice and who went into sinful amusement.
He will come dissipated, shabby in apparel,
ind sposed to look any one in the eyes, moral
character eighty-five per cent. of. You will
o.,@lo %l1l ,row.o