The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-04-18
lREV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: ssSustaining Power Of Re-
Hgion."

Subject: ssSustaining Power OF he'
-.. Hsion."
TEXT: Through ye haze lain among the
pots. yet shall ye be as the ,oings Of a dove
Z cocered acih s;lcer and her feathers DIh yet-
!, loo old."-Psalms xviii, IS.
- Isuppose YOU know what the Israelites
did down in Egyptian slavery. They made
bricks. Amid the utensils Of the brlckkiln
there were also other utensils Of cookery
the kettles, the pots, the pans, with which
thew prepared their daily food, and when
these Door slaves, tired Of the days work, lay
down to rest they lay down among the i'm.
plements of cookery and the implements OF
: hard work. When they arose In the morn
{ ing, they found their garments covered with
the clay and the smoke, and tho dust, and
! besmirched and begrimed with the utensils
Of cookery.
But after q while the Lord broke up that
slavery, and He took these poor slaves into q
land where they had better garb, bright and
clean and beautiful apparel. No more bricks
! for them to make. Let Pharaoh make bis
: own bricks. When David, In my text, comes
to describe the transition Of these poor Is
raelites from their bondage amid the orick.
kilns into the glorious emancipation for
Z which God had prepared them, he says,
! "Though ye have lain among the pots, yet
z shall We be as the wings Of dove covered
with silver and her feathers with yellow
Z gold"
Miss whately. the author Of q celebrated
Z book, sLife In Egypt, said she sometimes
!. saw people in the East cooking their food on
the tops Of houses, and that she had often
seen Just before sundown pigeons and
doves, which had during the heat Of the day
been hiding among the kettles and the pans
with which the food was prepared, picking
Jp the crumbs that they might find. Just
4 about the hour Of sunset they would spread
) their wings and fly hesvenward, entirely
/ unsoiled by the region In which they had
moved, for the pigeon Is very cleanly bird.
\ And as the pigeons flew away the setting
sun would throw silver on their wings and
cold on their breasts. So you see 1. is not q
farfetched simile or an unnatural COM
parison when David, in my text. says to
these emancipated Israelttes, and says to all
those who are brought out OF any kind or
trouble into any kind Of spiritual Joy,
Though ye have lain among the pots, yet
shall We be as the wings of a dove covered
with silver and her feathers with yellow
golt."
Sin Is the hardest of all taskmasters.
Worse than Pharaoh, 1t keeps Us drudging
IN most degrading service, but after awhile
Christ comes, and He says, "Let My people
60" and we pass out from among the brick
kilns OF sin into the glorious liberty OF the
gospel. We put on the clean robes OF q
Christian profession, and when at last we
soar away to the warm nest which God has
provided for us in heaven we shall go fairer
than a dove, its wings covered with silver
and Its feathers with yellow gold.
some of you DO not believe, and that is that
the grandest possible adornment Is the re-
Hgion of Jesus Christ. There are great
many people who suppose that religion 1s
very different thing from what It really Is.
Their men condemn the Bible Is because
they do not understand the Bible. They
have not properly examinedit. DR.. johnson
said that Hume told a minister in the bishop
xic OF Durham that he had never particularly
examined the New Testament, yet all his Life
wafring against It. HALEY, the astronomer,
announced his skepticism to Sir Isaac New
| ton, and Sir Isaac Newton said "Now, sir,
I have examined the subject, and you have
1 NOT. And am ashamed that you, profess
ing to be philosopher, consent to condemn
q thing you have never examined"
And so men reject the religion OF Jesus
Christ because they really have never In
yestigated II. They think it something un-
| desirable. something that will not work,
something Pecksniflan, something hypocrit-
tcal, ,eomething repulsiye, when It Is 30
bright and so beautiful you might compare
if to q chafinch, you might compare It to q
robin red breast, you might compare It to
dove-its wings covered with silver and its
feathers with yellow gold.
But how Is II II q young man becomes a
Christian? All through the clubrooms where
he associates, all through the business cir
Giles where he Is known, there Is commisera-
,tton. They say, "Whst q pity that young
man who had such bright prospects should
90 have been despoiled by those Christians,
giving up all his worldly prospects for some
thing which Is OF no particular present
worth p Here Is q young woman who be-
comes a Christian-her voice, her face, her
manners the charm OF the drawing room.
Now all through the fashionable circles
the whisper goes, "What a pity that such q
bright light should have been extinguished,
that such graceful gait should be crippled,
that such worldly prospects should be
obliteratedr' All, my friends, It can be
shown that religions ways are ways OF
pleasantness and that all her paths are
peace; that religion, instead Of being dark
and doleful and lachrymose and repulsive,
Is bright and beautiful, fairer than q dove,
with yellow gold.
See, in the first place, what religion will
do for q mans heart. care not how cheer
ful man may naturally bel before conversion,
r conversion brings him up to higher
standard OF cheerfulness. I do not say he
viii laugh any louder. I do not say but he
may stand back from some forms Of hilarity
in which he once INDUCED, but there comes
into his soul an immense satisfaction. A
young man not Christian depends upon
worldly successes to keep his spirits up.
Now he Is prospered, now he has large
salary, now he has beautiful wardrobe,
now he has pleas8nt friends now he has
more money than he knows how to spend
Everything goes bright and well with him.
But trouble comes. There are many young
men In the house this morning who can tes.
tify out of their own experisace that some
times to young men trouble comes-hts
friends are gone, his salary Is gone. his health
Is gone. He goes down, down. He becomes
sour, cross, queer, misanthropic, blames the
world, blames society. blames the church
blames everything, rushes perhaps to tho in
toxicating cup to drown his trouble, but In
body and browns his SOUL
But here Is Christian young man
Trouble comes to him. Does he give up
No! He throws himself back on the re.
sources Of heaven. he says "God Is my
Father. Out Of all these disasters I shall
pluck advantage for my soul. All the prom,
sses are mine, Christ is mine, Christian com
panionship Is mine, heaven Is mine. What
though my apparel be worn out? Chris
gives me robe Of Righteousness. What
though my money be gone? I have title
deed to the whole universe in the promise
tAI are yours What though my worldly
friends fall away? Ministering angels are
my body y-yuard. What though my fare be
poor and my bread be scant? sit at th'
Kings banquet !"
Oh, what poor, shallow stream Is world,