Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-09-08
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine'S Sum-
day Sermon.
Subject; weekday Religion"


days and holy places have their use, they can
never be a substitute for continuous exercise
Of faith and prayer.
In other words, a man cannot be 80 good a
Christian on Sabbath that he can afford to be
q wording all the week. II q steamer start
for Southampton and sail one day In that d.
rection and the other six days sail in other
directions, how long before the steamer will
get TO Southampton? Just as soon as tho
man will get to heaven who sails on the Sab
bath day towardthat which Is good, and the
other six days OF the week sails toward the
world, the flesh and the devil. You cannot
lat so much at the Sabbath banquet that you
can afford religious abstinence all the rest Of
the week.
Genuine religion Is not spasmodic, does
not 60 BY fits and starts, is not an attack OF
chills and fever-now cold until your teeth
chatter, now hot until your bones ache.
Genuine religion marches on steadily up
steep hills and along dangerous decllvities,
its eye ever on the everlasting hills crowned
with the castles OF the blessed.
Ipropose, so far as God may help me, to
show you how we may bring our religion in
to ordinary life and practice it in common
things Yesterday, to-day, tomorrow.
And, in the first place, l remark, we ought
to bring religion into our ordinary converse
ton. A dam breaks, and two or three vii
lagos are submerged, a South American
earthquake swallows a city, and people be-
gin TO talk about the uncertainty OF human
life, and In that conversation think they are
engaging in religious service when there
may be no religion at all. l have noticed
that in proportion as Christian experience Is
shallow men talk about funerals and death
beds and hearses and tombstones and cpl
taphs.
liza 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 insignfi-
cant pass between this and that. Yet how
seldom it is that the religion OF Christ is
welcome theme II a man full OF the gospel
OF Christ goes into religious circle and be-
gins TO talk about sacred things, all the con-
yersation is hushed. and things become ex-
ceedingly awkward. As on summer day,
the forest full OF song and chirp and carol.
mighty chorus OF bird harmonies, every
branch an orchestra, il a hawk appears in
the sky, all the voices are hushed, 50 have
sometimes seen social circle that proiessed
10 be Christian silenced by the appearance OF
the great theme OF God and religion.
Now, my friends II we have the religion OF
Christ in our SOUL we will talk about 1t in
IN exhilarant mood. II is more refreshing
than the waters. it Is brighter than the sun
shine. it gives a man JOY here and prepares
him for everlasting happiness before the
throne OF God. And yet, IL the theme OF
religion be introduced into a circle, every
thing ssilenced-silenced unless perhaps an
aged Christian man in the corner OF the
room, feeling that something ought TO be
said puts ono foot over the other and sighs
heavily and says, "Oh. yes that's 50
Ny friends. the religion OF Jesus Christ Is
D r.aA OH
something to talk about and sing about, your
face irradiated The trouble il tnat men pro-
Tossing the faith OF the gospel are often SO
inconsistent that they are afraid their con-
versation will not harmonic with their life.
We cannot talk the gospel unless we 1--we the
gospel. You will often find man whose en-
tire life is full Of Inconsistencies filling his
conversation with such expressions as, We
are miserable sinners, The Lord help US,
Tho Lord bless you, interartinS their
conversation with such phrases, which are
mere canting, and canting is the worst kind
Of hypocrisy.
TIA man nave the grace OF God in his heart
dominant, he can talk religion, and 1t Will
seem natural. and men. instead OF being re-
pulsed by il, will he attracted by 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, and
He writes it all down. Malachi ill.,, t.
Then they that feared the Lord talked On3
to the other, and the Lord hearkened and
heard, and book OF remembrance was writ
ten.
But remark again, we ought TO bring the
religion OF Jesus Christ into our ordinary
employments. "Ob." you say, that's a very
good theory for a man who manages a large
business. who has great traffic. who holds
"a l. frarr Fnr q r.
and for shippers-5ut in my thread and nee
ale store. in my trimming establishment, in
nv insignificant work OF life. you cannot
apply those grand gosple principles. VINO
told you that? Do you not know that
faded leaf on brooks surface attracts COD 5
attention as certainly rs the path OF olaZ-
ing sun. and that the moss that creeps pine
side OF the rock attracts Gods attention rs
certainly as the waving tops OF Oregon pine
and Lebanon cedar and that the cracking
of an alder under cows hoof SOUNDS as
loudly in Gods ear as the snap oil word
confederation, and that the most Insignia
amt thing in YOUR life is OF enough impor-
lance to attract the attention of the Lord
God Almighty?
NV brother. YOU cannot he called to do any
thing so insignificant but God will help you
in il. II YOU are q fisherman, Christ WIN
stand by you as He did by Simon when he
dragged Gennesaret Are you drawer oil
water? He will be with you as at the well
curb when talking with the Samaritan
woman. Are you custom house ofncerF
Christ will call you rs He did Matthew at the
receipt of custom. The man who has only
days wages in his pocket rs 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 deyOut on the Sabbath VINO
Use far from that during the week coun-
trv merchant arrives in this city, and he goes
into the store to buy goods OF man VINO
processes religion, but has no grace IN ms
heart. The country merchant is swindled.
He is too exhausted to go home that week T
he tarries in town. On Sabbath ne goes 10
some church for consolation, and what is his
amazement TO find that the man who carries
around the poor box is the very one VINO
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. Workings
during the week.
That man does not realize that God knows
ev.rv dishonest dollar hs has In his pocket
that God is looking right through the iron
wall of his money safe, and that the day oil
Judgment is coming. and that las the par
fridge sltteth on eggs and hatcheth them not
so he that getteth riches an | not by right
shall leave them in the midst OF his days, and
at his end shall be fool" But how many
there are vino do not bring the religion Of
Christ into their everyday occupation. They
think religion is for Sun lays.
Suppose YOU were to 90 ont to fight for
your country in some great contest. would
you go 10 DO the battling ut Troy or at
| Springfield? No, you would 90 there to get
your swords and musksts. Then you would
| 20 out in the face Of the enemy and contend
for your country. Now take the Ssbbnth
day and the church TO be only the armory
where we are TO get equipped for the great
battle OF life. and that battlefield is Monday.
Tuesday, Wednesday. Thursday Friday an J
Saturday. antioch" and est. Martins"
and "Old Hundred are not worth much II
\ we do not sing all the week. A sermon is Of
little account II we cannot carry II behind
The counter and behind the pillow. The Sab
bath day is OF no value il it last only q
hours.
ooh" says some one. III had a great
sphere. would do that. II could have
lived in the time OF Martin Luther II could
have been Paul's travelling companion, II
had some great and resounding work to do
then | should put into application all that