Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-02-10
REV. DR.. TALMAGB,
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun
day Sermon.
Subject; "Ihe Sunshine of Religion"

sver the bills OF our world. She had queenly
step. On her brow was celestial radiance,
Her voice was music. Her name is Religion.
Ny text introduces her, "der ways are
ways of pleasantness, ani all her paths are
,eace.n
But what is religion' Tue fact Is that
theological study has had different effect
apop me from the effect sometimes pro.
iuced. Every year tear out another leaf
rom my theology until have only three or
four leaves left--in other words, very brief
ind plain statement of Christian belief.
An aged Christian minister said: "Whsn
[ was q young man, l knew everything;
when got to be thirty-ive years Of age, in
niy ministry had only 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, an inow am
Tying at seventy-fve years of age, and there
Is only one thing know, and 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 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 nonesssntal, 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 find that, in the first
pldcs, AMI dominant .aboss eli others, is the
sunshine of religion. When go into a room
| have passion for throwing open all the
shutters. That is what want to do this
morning. We are apt to throw SO mitch of
the sepuichral into our religion and to close
the shutters AMI to pull down the blinds
that il is only through here and there cree
vice that the light streams The religion Of
the Lord Jesus Christ is a religion OF joy ins
describable and unutterable. Wherever
can find a bell mean to ring it.
If there are any in this house this morn.
ing who are disposed to hold on to their
melancholy and gloom, let them now depart
this service before the fairest aud the bright
est and the most IA liant being of all ths
universe comes in. Gods Son has left our
world, but Gods daugher is here. Give her
room. Hail, princess OF heavenl Hail,
daughter of the lord Cod Almighty Come
in and make this house thy throneroom,
In sitting 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 III the sunshine and with a spoon in her
hand. She said, "My darling, what are
you doing thereY' "Oh replied the child.
"l'm getting a spoonful OF this sunshine"
Would Go 4 that to-day might present you
with cleaning chalice Of this glorious
everlasting Gospel sunshine
First of ell, find great deal of sunshine
in Christian society.
do not know of anything more doeful
than the companiunShip of the mere fun.
makers Of the world 5he Thomas Hoods
the Charles Lambs, the Charles Matthews
NF fha xyorlS---fho vuhoeo b,,- -,
1t Is TO make sport They make others
laugh, but if you will examine their auto5;-
ography or biography you will find that
down in their soul there was terrific dis
quietude. Laughter is no sign of happiness,
The manaic laughs. The hyena laughs. The
loon among the Adironlacks lauSn. The
'irunkard, dashing his decantef against the
wal, ,au his.
There is terrible reaction from all sinful
amusement and sinful merriment, Suca
men are cross the next day. They sDap al
you Oh exchange or they pass you not
recognising you. Long ago ! quit mere
worldly society for the reason it was SO dull
SO inane and SO stupid. My nature is
voraclous OF joy. must have it.
always walk on the sunny side OF Che
street, and for that reason l. have crossed
over into Christian society. 'Eliketheir mode
of repartee better; l like their style of
amusement better. They live longer
Cnristian people, sometimes notice. live on
when by all natural law they susht to nave
died, have known persons who have cons
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 AMI physiology, but
they had this supernatural vivacity OF the
Gospel in their soul, and that kept taen
alive,
Put ten or twelve Christian people in a
room for Christian conversation, AMI you
will from to 10 o'clock hear mora resuuni.
ing glee see more bright strokes of wit AMI
lind more thought and profound satisfac-
ton than in any merely worldly party.
Now, when say worldly party" | mean
that to which you are invited. because I'M
der all the circumstances of the case it is
the best for you to be invited, and to which
you 60 because under all circumstances OF
the case it is better that you go, and leaving
the shawls on the second floor you go to tbs
parlor to give formal salutation to the host
ami tho hostess. and then move around
spending the whole evening in the discus.
sion of the weather. and ia apology for
treading on long trails and ia effort to keep
the corners of the mouth up to the sign
ct pleasure, an3 going around with an
idiotic he-he about nothing, uutil the cola.
ton is served, AMI then after the collation.
is served going back again into thu parlor
to resume the weather, and then at the close
going at very late hour to the host and
hostess and assuring them that you have
had most delightful evening, an then pass
Ing down off the front steps, the slam of the
door the only satisfaction OF the evening.
Oh, young man. come from the country
IN t-0t dan <1ffx xx1ko
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 youc boty, mind aui 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 l.
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-6ve per cent. off. You will
come with principle settled, codntenancs
frank, habits good, soul saved and all the
Inhabitants of heaven, from the lowest AN gel
up 20 tue archangel and clear past him to
the Lord God Almighty, your coadjutors.
This is not the advice OF misanthrope.
There is no mau in tue bolise to whom the
world is brighter than it is to ME. 1t ID not
the advice of a. dyspeptic-my digestion Is
perfect; it is not the advice of a man who
cannot =, IersJand JOKE or VINO prefers
funeral. is not the advice of a wornout
man, buo the advice of man who can see
this world in all its brightness, and. consi1-
ering myself competent i'll Judging what is
good cheer, | tell the multltudes of young
men in this house this morning that there is
nothing in worldly associations SO grand
and so beautiful and so exhilarant as in
Christian society.
know there is great deal of talk about
the self denials Of the Christian. | have to
tell you that where the Christian has one
self denial the man of the world has a thou.
sand self denials. Tho Christian is not COM
manded to surrender anything that is worth