Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1895-08-02
REV. DR. TALMAGE
The Eminent New York Dlvins's Sun
day Sermon.
Subject: "PIain People,"


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
ilustrous expositors, but nothing is said
about Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patro
bas, Hermes Philologus and Julia. Where
were they born? No one knows. Where did
they die? There is no record OF their decease.
For what were they distinguished? Abso
lutey for nothing, or the trait of character
would have 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 have been caught by the apostolic
camera. But they were good people, because
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 religion for
ordinary people. If there be in the United
States 65, 100000 people, there are certainly
not more than 1000 900 extraordinary, and
then there are Ga, OOJOJ0 ordinary, and we do
well to turn our backs for little while upon
the distinguished and conspicuous people OF
the Bible and consider i'll our text the seven
ordinary. We spend too much of our time
in twisting garlands for remarkables and
building thrones for magnates and sculptur-
ing warriors and apotheosizing philanth.
ropists. The rank and file of the Lords
soldiery need especial help.
The vast majority of people to whom this
sermon comes will never lea an army, will
never write State constitution, will never
portant invention, will never Introduce
new philosophy, will never decide
the fate of Nation. You DO not eX-
pect to; you do not want to- You will not
be Moses TO leal q Nation out of bondage.
You willnot be a Joshua to prolong the day
light until you can shut five kings in Il cav
ern. You will not be ST. John to unroll an
apocalypse. You will not be Paul to pre-
side over an apostolic college. You will not
be Mary 10 mother a Christ. You will moro
probably be Asyncritus or PhlegOn or Her
mas or Palrobas or Hermes or Phlologus or
Julia.
Many OF you are women at the head OF
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. Tho
culinary department Of your household is in
your dominion. You decide all questions Of
diet. All the sanitary regulations OF your
house are under your supervision. To regu
late the food, and the apparel, and the habits
and decide the thousand questions of homo
life is tax upon your brain and nerve and
general health absolutely appalling if 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. 1t does not help you
much to be told that Mrs. Jddson was very
brave among the Bornesian cannibals. 1t
does not help you much to be toll that Flo.
ence Nightingale was very kind to thu
wounded in the Crimea. Ii would be better
for me to tell you that the Divine Friend or
Mary aud Martha is your friend, and that He
sees all the annOyances and dsappontments
and abrasions and exasperatiOns of an ordin-
airy housekeeper from morn till night,
and from the first day of the year to the last
day OF the year AMI at your call Hs is ready
with help and re-enfOrcementS.
They who provide the food of the world
decide the health of the world. One Of tho
greatest battles of this century was lost be-
cause the commander that morning had u fit
of indigestion. You have only to go on Some
errand amid the tavarns AMI the hotels OF
United States and Great Britain to appre-
ciate the fact that vast multitude Of tho
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 i'll astronomy,
she is not well lucated unless she has taken
lessons in dough. They who decide the APP
parel OF the world aud the foo Of the world
decide the endurance of the world.
An uuthinking man may consider it q matt
ter OF little impOriance-the cares of tho
household and the economies of domestic life
but tell you the earth is strewn with the
martyrs of kitchen aud nursery The health
shattered wOmanhool of America cries out
for God who can help ordinary women in
the ordinary duties Of housekeeping. The
wearing. grinding, unappreciated work goes
Oh, but the same Christ who stood on the
bank of Gallee in the early morning and
kiudled 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 tho hand of her hirel
help.
The Col who M le in lestru;tible euloSy
Of Hannah, who made coat for Samde,
herson, and carried it to ths 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 the three angels on thu 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 it or remarkable for their deeds
Deborah an Jezebel and Hero liza and Atha-
Lab and DOrcas aud the Marys. excellent an1
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 ord;-
n rV6 II a N m
bilities.
Then there are the ordinary business men.
They need divine aud Christrian help.
When we begin to talk about business life,
we shoot right off and talk about men wh)
did business on a large SCALE and who sold
millions Of dollars of goods a year, but tho
vast majority of business men do not sell
million dollars of goods, nor half million,
nor quarter of a million, nor the eighth
part oil million. Put all the business mon
of our cities, towns, villages and neighbor-
hoods side by side, and you will find that
they sell less than $4,000 worth Of goods
All 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 business man is by looking at him.
Gray hairs at thirty. A man ut forty-hve
with the stOOp of a nOnOgenariaD. No time
to attend to improved dentistry, the grinders
cease because they are few. Actually dying
OF old age at forty or fifty when they ought
to be at the meridian.
Many of these business men have boil
like q neglected clock 10 which you come,
and you wind it up, and it begins to buzz
aud roar and then tho hands start around
very rapidly, and then the clcc'I strikes five
or ten, or forty. and strikes without any
sense, and then suddenly stops. SO is tho
body of that WORKOUT business man. 1t is
neglected clock, and though by some suu-