The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-09-07
/, DR., 1AlMAGE'S SERMON
WEEK DAY RELIGION.
CHRISTIANS Compass Too Often
Neglected in His Life.

,r, "Tn all ny rays acknowledge HIM
Foverbs I'LL, 6.
hs,e has been tendency In nll lands and
IN act apart certain days. places and oc-
ons for especial religious service. and to
that they formedthe realm In which re-
on was chiefly to act. Now. while holy
and holy places have their use. they can
~ no a substitute for continuous exercise
nith and prayer.
other words, man cannot be so good
rjstIan on Sabbath that be can afford TO be
rrldling all the week. II n steamer start
southampton and sail one day In that d.
.,on and the other six days sail in other
ections. how long before the steamer will
10 Southampton just as soon as the
|, will get TO heaven who sails on the Sab
= Jay towardthat which is good, and the
a, ak dnys OF the week sails toward the
ia the nesh and the devil. You cannot
40 much nj the Sabbath banquet that you
a,ford religious abstinence all the rest OF
week.
rsnnine religion is not spasmodic. does
1, 90 by Iits and starts. is not an attack OF
,ls and iever-now cold until your teeth
a,,er now hot until your bones ache
pnplns religion marches on steadily up
psp hills and along dangerous declivities,
eve ever on the everlasting hills crowned
NM the castles OF the blessed.
propose, so far as God may help me, 10
ow YOU how we may bring our religion In
ordinary life and practice II In common
kipgs yesterday. to-day, tomorrow.
And. i'm the first place. remark, we ought
brlnc religion into our ordinary converse
=, A dam breaks, and two or three vii
COS are submerged. South American
[rthauake swallows n city. aud people be-
IN 10 talk about the uncertainty of human
|fe and In that conversation think they are
bcacing In religious service when there
az be no religion at all. / have noticed
mi in proportion as Christian experience is
kallow men talk about funerals and death
L. and hearses and tombstones and cpl
hphs.
| II n man have the religion OF the gospel In
H. full power in his soul he will talk chiefly
khout this world and the eternal world and
{ery little comparatively about the inslgnh-
kant pass between this and that. Yet how
SsIdom il is that the religion OF Christ is
Welcome theme. II n man full OF the gospel
IN Christ goes into religious circle and be-
rns 10 talk about sncred things. all the con-
kersation IL hushed. and things become ex-
heedtngly awkward. As on n summer day,
She forest full OF song and chirp and carol.
mighty chorus OF bird harmonies, every
branch an orchestra, II hawk appears in
khe sky. all the voices are hushed, so have
eometimes seen social circle that professcd
H. be Christian silenccd by the appearance OF
the great theme OF God and religion.
Now, my friends. II we have the religion OF
Christ In bur soul. we will talk about Il In
nn exhilarant mood. II IL more refreshing
Than the waters. 1t is brighter than the sun
shine. II gives man JOY here and prepares
him for everlasting happiness before the
throne OF God. And yet, II the theme OF
religion be introduced into a circle, every
thing is ssilenced-silenced unless perhaps an
aged Christian man in the corner OF the
room. feeling that something ought to be
said. puts one foot over the other and sigEs
heavily and says. "Oh yes that's so -
Ny friends. the religion OF Jesus Christ IL
not something TO be groancd 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 ars afraid their con-
versa,ion will not harmonize with their life.
We cannot talk tho gospel unless we live the
gosusl You will often lind a man whose en-
tirp life Is full OF Inconsistencies filing hts
co Yersation with such expressions as. 1--WE
arr miserable slnuers, I" s'T'he Lord help IA.
''rhe Lord bless YOU" interlarding their
with such phrases, which are
mere canting, and cGnting Is the worst kind
Of hypocrisy.
II man have the grace of God in his heart
dominant he can talk religion, and IL will
pulsed by II, viii be attracted by 1t. Do you
not know that when two Christian people
talk as they ought about the things OF Christ
and heaven God gives special attention. and
He writes II all down. Malachi Ill.,, 16.
"Then they that feared the Lord talked one
10 the other, and the Lord hearkened and
heard, and a book Of remembrance was writ
ten
But remark again. We ought to bring the
religion OF Jesus Chr At into our ordinary
employments. 'Oh. Sou say. that's a very
good theory for u mLn who manages a large
business. who has great traffic. who holds u
grcat cstate-it is n grand 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
apply those grand gosple principles Who
told YOU that? Do you not know that a
faded leaf on u brooks surface attracts God
attention as certainly as the path OF n blaz-
ing sun, and that the moss that creeps upthe
side Of tho rock attracts Gods attention as
certainly as the waving tops OF Oregon pine
and Lebanon cedar, and that the cracking
OF an alder under COWS hoof sounds ~
loudly in Gods ear sis the snap of "a worlds
conhlgration and that the most insgnin-
cant thing In your life Is OF enough impor-
tance to attract the attention of the Lord
God Almighty?
My brother. you cannot be called to do any
thing so Insignificant but God will help you
In 1t. you arc fisherman. Christ will
stand 10y you as He did by Simon when he
dragged Gennesaret. Are you drawer OF
waterI He will be with you as at the well
curb when talking with the Samaritan
woman. Are you custom house officer?
Christ will call you as He did Matthew at the
receipt Of custom. The man who has only
days wages in his pocket as certainly needs
religion as he who rattles the keys OF a bank
and could abscond with hundred thousand
hard dollars. Aud yet there are men who
profess the religion OF Jesus Christ who do
not bring the religion OF tho 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
are far from that during the week. coun-
try merchant arrives In this city, and he goes
into the store TO buy goods OF man who
processes religion. but has no grace In his
heart. The country merchant Is swlndled.
he Is too exhausted to go home that week I;
ne tarrles in town. On Sabbath he goes TO
some church for consolation, aud what is his
amazoment to find that the man who carries
around the poor box is the very one who
swindled him. But never mind. The deacon
mas MS black coat on now and looks solemn
and hnna faILsina about thnf IlasqoI