The Penn's Grove record., 1895-07-26
Rev. DR.. TaLuRGE.
The Brooklyn Divine's Sunday
Sermon


Subject: "PIain People,"
TEXT: "salute Asyncritus. Phlegon, Her
mas, Patrobas, Hermes, Philologua and
1ulia. "-Romans xvi, IA, Is.
Matthew Henry, Albert Barnes, Adam
Clark, Thomas Scott and all the commenta-
tors pass by these verses without any especial
remark. The othertwenty people mentioned
in the chapter were distinguished for some
thing and were therefore discussed by the
illustrious expositors, but nothing is said
about Asyncritus, Phlegon. Hermas, Patro-
bas, Hermes, Philologus and Julia. Where
were they born2 No one knows. Where did
they die? There is no record OF their decease.
For what were they distinguished Abso-
lutely for nothing, or the trait Of character
would lave been brought out by the apostle.
II they had been very intrepid or opulent or
hirsute or musical OF cadence or Grass OF
style or In anywise anomalous, that feature
would lave been caught by the apostolic
Paul sent to them his high Christian regards.
They were ordinary people, moving in ordi-
nary sphere, attending to ordinary duty and
meeting ordinary responsibilities.
What the world wants Is q religion foi
ordinary people. II there be in the United
not more than 1000, 900 extraordinary, and
then there are "a, 000, 0J0 ordinary, and we do
well to turn our for a little while upon
the distinguished and conspicuous people OF
the Bible and consider in our text the seven
ordinary. We spend too much of our time
in twisting garlands for r~emarkables n
building thrones for magnates and SCULPTURE
ing warriors and apotheosixing philanth-
ropists. The rank and file Of b Lords
soldiery need especial help.
The vast majority Of people to whom THU
sermon comes will never lead an army, will
never write "A State constitution, will never
e~lectrify a Senate, will never make an im-
a new philosophy, will never decide
the fate of a Nation. You DO not ex-
pect to; you do not want to. You will not
be a Moses to lead a Nation out of bondage.
You will not be a Joshua to prolong the day
light until you can shut five kings in a cav
ern. You will not be a St. John to unroll an
| apocalypse. You will not be q Paul to pref
side over an apostolic college. You will not
be a Mary to mother a Christ. You will moro
probably be Asyncritus or Phlegon or Herr
mas or Patrobas or Hermes or Philologus OF
Julia. Z
Many of you are women at the head o.
households. This morning you launched the
| family for Sabbath Observance. Your brain
decided the apparel. and your Judgment was
final on all questions of personal attire.
Every morning you plan for the day. The
culinary department OF your household is in
| your dominion. You decide all questions OF
diet. All tho sanitary regulations OF your
house are unde your supervision. To regu-
late the food, and the apparel, and the habits
and decide the thousand questions Of home
| life Is a tax upon your brain and nerve and
| general health absolutely appalling II there
| be no divine alienation.
1t does not help you much to be told that
! Elizabeth Fry did wonderful things mid the
| criminals Of Newgate. It does not help you
much to be told that Mrs. Judson was very
| brave among the Bornesian cannibals. 1t
| does not help you much to be told that Flor
ence Nightingale was very kind to the
| rounded in the Crimea. 1t would be better
| for me to tell you that the Divine Friend OF
| Mary and Martha Is FOUR friend, and that He
sees all the a~nnoyances and disappointments
| and abrasions and exasperations Of an ordin-
airy housekeeper from morn till night,
| and from the first day of the year to the last
I day of the year and at your call he is ready
| with help and re-enforcements.
They who provide the o OF the world
| decide the health Of the world. One of the
greatest battles Of this century YVES lost be-
/ cause the commander that morning had a fit
| of indigestion. You a only to go on some
| errand amid the taverns ana the hotels OF
| United States and Great Britain to appre-
| ctate the fact that a vast multitude of the
| human race are slaughtered by incompetent
cookery. Though u young woman may have
| taken lessons in music and may have taken
| lessons In painting and lessons In astronomy,
| she Is not we'll educated unless she has taken
lessons in dough. They who decide the APP
parel Of the world and the food Of the world
decide the endurance OF the world.
An ~unthinking man may consider 1t a mat
ter OF little importance-the cares Of the
| household and the economics Of domestic life
| but l tell you the earth Is strewn with the
\ martyrs OF kitchen and nursery. The health
shattered ~womanhood of America cries out
for a God who can help ordinary women in
| the ordinary duties of housekeeping. The
wearing, grinding, impoverished work goes
on, but the same Christ who stood on the
bank OF Galilee In the early morning and
kindled the fire and had the fish already
/ cleaned and broiling when the sportsmen
stepped ashore, chilled and hungry, will help
every woman to prepare breakfast, whether
by her own hand or the hand Of her hired
help.
The God who made indestructible eulogy
Of Hannah, who made a coat for Samuel,
her son, and carried 1t to the temple every
year. will help every woman in preparing the
family wardrobe. The God who opens the
| Bible with the story of Abraham's entertain
ment OF thethree angels on the plains Of
Mamre will help every woman to provide
hospitality, however rare and embarrassing.
1t is high time that some of the attention we
have been giving to the remarkable women
of the Bible-remarkable for their virtue or
want OF 1t or remarkable for their deeds
| Deborah and Jezebel and Herodia and Atha-
liah and Dorcas and the Marys, excellent and
abandoned-it is high time some of the at
tention we have been giving to these con
spicuous women Of the Bible be given to
Julia of the text, an ordinary woman amid
ordinary circumstances, attending to ordi-
nary duties and meeting ordinary responsi-
bilities.
Then there are the ordinary business men.
They need divine and Christrian help.
| When we begin to talk about business life,
| we shoot right off and talk about men who
did business on a large scale, and who sold
millions OF dollars OF goods a year, but the
vast majority Of business men do not sell a
million dollars OF goods, nor half a million,
nor IA quarter Of a million, nor the eighth
mart of a million. Put all the business men
OF our cities, towns, villages and ~neighbor-
hoods side by side, and you will find that
they sell less han $4,000 worth Of goods.
Ali these men in ordinary business life want
divine help. You see how the wrinkles are
printing on the countenance the story OF
\ worriment and care. You cannot tell how
| old q business man Is by looking at him.
Gray hairs at thirty. A man at forty-ive
with the stoop Of a nonogenariAn. No time
to attend to improved dentistry, the grinders
cease because they are few. Actually dying
OF old age at forty or nifty when they ought
10 be at the meridian.
Many Of these business men have bodies
like a neglected clock to which you come,
and you wind 1t up, and It begins to buzi
and roar, and then the hands start around
very rapidly, and then the clock strikes five
or ten, or forty, and strikes without any
sense, and then suddenly stops. So is the
body Of that WORKOUT business man. It IL Q
neglected clock. and though by some sum-
mer recreation 1t may DO wound up, still the
machinery 10 all out Of gear. The hands turn
around with q velocity that excites the as
constituent Of the world. Men cannot IN
derstand the wonderful activity, and there
Is a roar, and Q buzz, and q rattle about these
disordered lives, and they strike ten when
they ought te strike five, and they strike
twelve when they ought to strike six, and
they strike forty when they ought to strike
nothing, and suddenly they stop. Post
norton examination reveal the fact that all
the springs and pivots and weights and bal
ancs wheels OF health are completely do.
ranged. The human clock has simply run
down. And at tho time whea the steadi
hand ought to be pointing to the industrioul
hours on q clear and sunltt dial the wholi
/ machinaPv If hOdv mind and aarfhlu o.naN.