Democratic messenger., 1893-09-09
REV. DR.. TALMAGB.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun.
day Sermon.
Subject: weekday Religion"


think that they formeithe realm in which re.
ligion was chiefly to act. Now. while holy
days and holy places have their use they ear
never be a substitute for continuous exercise
Of faith and prayer
In other words, IA man cannot be so good q
Christian on sabbath that he can afford TO be
a worldlins all the week. II n steamer start
for Southampton AMI sail one day In that iii.
rection and the other six days sail in Other
directions. how long before the steamer will
get to Southampton? just rs soon as the
man will get 10 heaven who sails on the Sab
bath day towar.ithat which is good, AMI the
other SIX DAYS of the week slils toward the
world. the A'si an the devil. You cannot
eat 80 much Mt the sabbath banquet that You
can affori religious abstinence all the rest oi
the week.
Genuine religion is not spasmoiic. does
not 70 by fits and starts. is not an attack OF
chills aud fever-now cold until your teeth
chatter. now hot until your boaes ache.
Genuine religion marches on ea1ily up
steep hills and along dangerous declivities,
its eye ever on the everlasting hills crowned
with the castles or the blessed.
Ipropose. so lar rs Col may help me. TO
show you how We may bring our religion in
to ordinary life ami practice it in common
things yesterday. to-day. tomorrow.
And. in the first place. remark. We ought
TO bring religion into oar ordinary CONVERSE
ton. dam breaks. and two or three viii
lagos nrc submerged. Il South American
earthquake swallows city. and people be-
gin TO talk about the uncertainty of human
life, ani in that conversation think they are
engaging in religious service when there
may he no religion at ALL have noticed
that in proportion rs Christian experience Is
shallow men talk about funerals an1 death
beds and hearsas AMI tombstones and epi-
taphs.
If man have the religion of the gospel in
Its full power in his soul he will talk chiefly
about this world and the eternal world and
very little comparatively about the insignfl
cant pass between this and that. Yet how
seldom il is that the religion OF Christ Is IA
welcome theme, II n man full OF the gospel
of Christ goes into n religious circle and be-
gins to talk about sacred things. all the con-
versation is hushed. and things become ex-
ceediugly awkward. As on summer day.
the forest full of song and chirp and carol.
mighty chorus OF bird harmonies. every
branch an orchestra, II a hawk appears in
the sky. all the voices are hushed, so have
sometimes seen u social circle that professed
to he Christian silencei by the appearance OF
the great theme OF God AMI religion.
Now, NV friends. ii we have the religion OF
Christ in our soul. We will talk about 1t in
an exhilarant mood. II is more refreshing
than the waters. it is brighter than the sun
shine. 1t gives man joy here and prepares
uAm LOT everlasting ndIptnsSS ufipFr tHc
throne OF Goi. And yet, If the theme oil
religion be introduced into circle, every
thing issilenced -silenced unless perhaps an
aged Christian man in the corner OF the
room, feeling that something ought TO bs
said. puts one foot over the other an sighs
heavily and says, '.Oh. yes that's so
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 tnat men pro-
Tossing the faith of the gospel are often So
inconsistent that they are afraid their con-
yersation will not harmonic with their life.
We cannot talk the gospel unless we live the
gospel You will often find u man whose en-
tire life Is full of inconsistencies filling his
conversation with such expressions as. We
are miserable sinners The Lord help Us. :"
The Lord bless YOU. interar ling their
conversation with such phrases, which are
mere canting, and canting is the worst kind
of hypocrisy.
II a man have the grace OF God i'll his heart
dominant he can talk religion, aud it will
seem natural. and men. instead OF being re-
pulsed by il. will he attracted hy 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, AMI
He writes it all down. Malachi ill.,. 16,
Then they that feared the Lord talked one
to the other, and the Lord hearkenei and
heard, and book of remembrance was writ
ten.
But remark again, we yht TO bring the
religion OF Jesus Christ into our ordinary
employments. '0h." tou say. '.that's very
good theory for n man who manages large
business who has great traffic. who holds y
great estate-it j. a granl thing for bankers
and for shippers-but in my thread and nee
die store, in my trimming establishment, in
my insignificant work OF life. you cannot
4. IL. iFaIA hn
told YOU that? Do you not know that a
faded leaf ona brooks surface attracts God $
attention as certainly as the path of u blaz-
ing sun and that the moss that creeps upthe
side of the rock attracts Gods attention as
certainly as the waving tops OF Oregon pine
and Lebanon cedar and that the cracking
of an alder under a cows hoof sounds rs
loudly in Gods ear rs the snap OF "a world .
confiagration. and that the most insignifl-
cant thing in your life is OF enough impor-
tance to attract the attention OF the Lord
God Almighty?
Ny brother. you cannot ne called 10 do any
thing so insignificant but God will help you
in it, II you are "a fisherman. Christ will
stand by you as He did by Simon when he
dragged Gennesaret. Are You n drawer OF
water! He will he with you as at the well
curb when talking with the Samaritan
woman. Are you u custom house officer?
Christ will call you as He did Matthew at the
receipt of custom. The man who has only u
days wages in his pocket as certainly needs
religion as he who rattles the keys OF bank
and could abscond with hundred thousand
hard dollars. And yet there are men who
profess the religion of Jesus Christ who do
not bring the religion of the gospel into
their ordinary occupations and employ
ments.
There are in the churches Of this day men
who seem very devout on the Sabbath who
fur hat Il u nta 4 n
try merchant arrives in this city. and he goes
into the store to buy goods OF a man who
Processes religion. but has no grace in his
heart. The country merchant Is swiniied.
He IL too exhausted to 20 home that week |;
he tarries In town. On Sabbath he goes to
some church for consolation. and what Is his
amgzement to find that the man who carries
around the poor box is the very one who
swindled him But never mind. The deacon
has his black coat on now and looks solemn
and goes home talking about that blessed
sermon. Christians on Sunday. Worldings
during the week.
That man does not realize that God knows
every dishonest dollar he has in his pocket,
that God is looking right through the iron
wall of his money safe. and that the day of
judgment is coming. and that las the par
fridge sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them not,
50 he that gettcth riches an / not by right
shall lea.e them in the midst of hi, days. nm
NJ MS emu snall ne q foOl. But how maue
there are who do not bring the religion oil
Christ into their everyday occupation They
think religion Is for SUNDAYS
suppose you were 10 90 oat TO fight for
your country In some great contest wOul
you 20 10 do the battling at Troy or at
Springfield: No. you would go there To- get
your swords AMI muskcts. Then YOU woui,!
go out in the face of the enemy AMI conten
Tor your country. Now. itake the S15hnth
hR h,A
where we are to get equipped for the ereit
battle OF life. AMI that battlefield is Mon iay.
Tuesday. "Wednesday. Thursday Friday an !
SATURDAY.. Antioch" and ''St. Martins
and "old Hundred are not worth much 4,
W, we do not sing all the week. 4 sermon is Of
ittie account II we cannot carry il benin |
the counter AMI behind the pillow. The Slh-
hours
oh says soma one. '.if | had 4 cra,t
sphere. would do that. IL | could have
lived in the time of Martin Luther. if could
have been Pau!s travelling companion. il |
had some great and resouniing work TO do.
then should put into application all that