Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1893-02-08
RELIGl N.
Bright Sunshine Sheds It's Light
CpOn the World
Tt Brinrs LIE Eternal TO the sinful Nor
tails OF Earth-It IL the Only Daughter
OF GOd-Dr. Talmage's Sermon

.
tAis OF Earth-It IL the only Daughter
OF SOd-Dr. Talmage's sermon
Rev. DR.. Talmagc sunday forenoon
/ preached TO a great audience IN the
/ Tabernacle on The Sunshine OF Re
/ ligion," the text chosen being. Proverbs
iii, l.: Her ways are ways Of pleasant
| ness"
You have all heard OF Gods only be-
gotten son Have you heard Of Gods
/ daughter? She was born in Heaven. She
came down over the hills OF our world.
SIC had queenly step On her brow
was celestial radiance Her voice was
music Her name IS Religion Nv text
introduces her. Her ways are ways OF
pleasantness, and all her paths are
| peace"
But what is religionP The fact is
that theological study has had differ
ent effect upon me from the effect some
Zines produced. Every year tear out
another leaf from my theology until
have ouly three or four leaves left In
other words a very brief and plain
statement OF Christian belief
An aged Christian minister said:
! When was n young man knew
i =
years Of age in my ministry had only
a hundred doctrines IN religion; when
got 10 be forty years Of age had only
fifty doctrines OF religion; when got TO
be sixty years of age l had only ten
doctrines OF religion, and now I am dy-
ing at seventy-five years OF age, and
there IS only one thing know. and
that IS that Christ Jesus came into the
4
noticed in the study of Gods word and
in the contemplation of the character
OF God and OF the eternal world that II
Is necessary for me 10 drop this part 81
my belief rs being non-essential. while
] cling TO the one great doctrine that
man is sinner and Christ is his al
mighty and divine Saviour.
Now. I take these three or four leaves
of my theology, and I find that in the
first place. and dominant above all 9TH
ers, is the sunshine OF religion. When
! GO into room l have n passion for
throwing open all the shutters. That
Is what l want TO do this morning. We
are apt TO throw so much OF the sepul-
chral into our religion, and TO close the
shutters. and 70 pull down the blinds,
that it is only through here and there a
crevice that the light streams The re-
ligion of the Lord Jesus Christ Is 4 re-
hSion Of JOY indescri bable and unutter-
able. Wherever l can find bell mean
20 ring il.
II there are any in this house this
morning who arc disposed to hold on to
their melancholy. and gloom, let them
now depart this service before the fair
est and the brightest and the most "a
diant 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 throne
room.
In setting forth this idea, the domi-
nant theory of religion is one of sun
shine. l 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 a spoon in her hand
She said: My darling, what are you
doing there?" oh" replied the child,
I'm getting a spoonful of this sun
shine" Would God that to-day might
present you with n cleaning chalice of
this glorious, everlasting, Gospel sun
shine!
First of all, I find great deal of sun
shine in Christian society.
do not know of anything more dole
full that the companiouship of the mere
fun-makers of the world-the Thomas
Hoods, the Charles Lambs, the Charles
Matthews of the world-the men whose
entire business is to make sport They
make others laugh, but if you will ex-
anime their autobiography or bio
graphy you will End that down in their
souls there was n terrific disquietude.
Laughter is no sign of happiness. The
maniac laughs. The hyena laughs The
loon among the Adirondacl,s laughs
The drunkard, dashing his decanter
against the wall, laughs
There is a terrible reaction from all
sinful amusement and sinful merri-
mcnt Such men are cross the next day.
They snap at you on exchange, or they
pass you, not recognizing you. Long
ago ] quit mere worldly society for the
reason it is dull, 50 insane and so
stupid. NV nature is voracious of Joy.
1 must have it.
I always walk on the sunny side Of
the street, and for that reason I have
crossed over into Christian society. /
like their mode of repartee better. like
their style OF amusement better. They
live longer. Christian people, I some
times notice, live on when by all natur-
oil law thcy ought 60 have died. / have
known persons who have continued in
their existence when the doctor said
they ought TO have been dead ten years
Every day Of their existence was n de
fance Of the laws of anatomy and
physiology; bit they had this super-
natural vivacity Of the gospel in their
soul, and that kept them alive. Put
zen or twelve Christian people in room
for Christian conversation. and you will,
from 90 10 o'clock, hear more resound-
ing glec, see more bright strokes Of
wit, and find more thought and pro-
found satisfaction, than in any mere
" worldly party. Now, when / say
a worldly party" ] mean 20 which
you are invited because under all cir
cumstances Of the case IL is the best for
you so bc invited and TO which you go
because under all the circumstances OF
the case it is better that you go; and
leaving the shawls on the second floor,
you go 90 the parlor TO give formal
salutation 90 the host and hostess. and
then move around. spending the even
L j