Democratic messenger., 1893-02-04
THE TRUE SUNSHINE.
Or. TALMAGE SAYS ONLY THE CHRIS
TlAN CAN APPRECIATE IT.

TlAN CAN APPRECIATE IT.
The GIoomicst Men ON Earth Are Those
Whose business 1t Is to Make Fun foI
| Others-Christians Society Is Whittier and
More Humorous Tla. Any Other.
BRooKLYN. Jan. 29.-Rev. DIR. Talmage
this forenoon preached 10 n great audi
| encc i'll the Tab; rnacle on The Sunshine
Of Religion" the text chosen being
Proverbs iii. Il. Her ways are ways OF
pleasantness.
You have y heard of Cod; only be.
gotten Son. Have you heard of Gods
daughter: Shc was born in heaven. She
came down over the hills of our world.
She lld qu"cnly step. On her brow was
celestial radiance. Her voice was music.
Her rame is Ecligion. My text intro
duce' her. Her ways are ways of pleas.
antncss. and all her paths are peace
But what i, religion: The fact is that
theological s,udy has had different ef-
feet upon me from the effect sometimes
produced. Every year tear ont another
leaf from M theology until have only
three or foni leaves left-in other words,
u very brief and plain statement of Chris
tain belief
An aged Christian minister said;
when ] WAS II Young man. | knew
everything: when got To be thirty-five
years of age. i'll 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 10
be sixty years of age. had only ten doc
trincS of religion. and now am dying Mt
seventy-iivc wear; 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
contemplaticl of the character of God
and of the eternal world that it is neces-
sary for me to drop this part of my be-
lief 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 Saw
iour
SUNSHINE OF THE HEART
Now take these three or four leaves
of my theology and find that. in the first
place. and dominant above all others, is
the sunshine of religion. When | go
into Il room have a passion for throw
ing open all the shutters. That is what
| want To de- this morning We are apt
to throw so much of the scpulchral into
our religion and to close the shutters
and to pull down the blinds that it is
only through here and there crevicc
that the light streams The religion of
the Lord Jesus Christ is religion of joy
indescribable and unutterable. Wher-
ever can find bell mean to ring it.
II there are any in this house this
morning who are 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 radi-
ant being of all the universe comes in.
Gods Son has left our world. but Gods
dau",it"r i here. cave her room Hail,
princess of heaven. Hail. daughter Of
the Lord Gol Almighty. Come in and
make this house thy throncroom.
In setting 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. \ mother SAW her little child
seated on the floor in the sunshine and
with Il spoon iii her hand. She said
My darling. what ara you doing there"
"Oh." replied the child. I'm getting a
spoonful of this Sunshine" Would God
that today might present you with n
gleamin; c.lalicc of this glorious. ever
lasting Gospel sunshine.
First of all. | find II great deal Of sun
shine in Christian socic;y.
do not know of anything more dole
ful than the co.nwnionship of the mere
funma.:ers of the world-thc Thomas
Hoods the Charles Lambs. the Charles
Matthew'S of the world-thc men whose
entire business it is To- make sport. They
make others laugh. hut if You will cx-
anime their autobiography o. biography
You will fina that down in their soul
there was - terrific liaquic;ude. Laugh
ter is no sign of happiness. The maniac
laughs. The hycna laughs. The loon
among the Adiron,lacks laughs. The
drunkard. dashing his decanter against
the wall. laughs.
THE AwTJl. REACTION.
There is II terrible reaction from all
sinful amusement and sinful merriment.
Such men are cross the next day. They
snap ut You on exchange. or they pass
you. not recognizing You. Long ago
quit mere worldly society for the reason
it was So dull. so inanc and SO stupid.
My nature is voracious of joy. must
have il.
always walk on the sunny side of the
street. and for that reason have crossed
over into Christian society. like their
mode of rcpartcc better: like their style
Of amuscmc.t better They live longer.
Christian people. sometimes notice. live
on when by all natural law they ought
to have died. have known persons who
have continued i'll their existence when
the doctor said they ought to have been
dead ten years. Every day of their ex-
istence WIS Il defiance of the laws of
9natomy and physiology. but they had
this supernatural vivacity of the Gospel
in their soul. and that kept them alive.
Put ten or twelve Christian people in
l. room for Christian conversation, and
you will from & To 10 o'clock hear more
resoundinS Slee. see more bright strokes
of wit. and find mere thought and pro-
found satisfaction than in any merely
worldly party. Now. when say n
worldly party" | mean that 10 which
you are iIvii"i. hacaus" under all the cir
euln#tamccs "f the ease il Is the best for
You To hc invited. and 10 which you go
because under all circumstances of the
case i, is better that You 20. and leaving
the shawlS nn the second floor You 20 To
tie parlnr To give formal salu-
s.,tiou fn tb. host aud the hostess