The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-22
A SERMON ON PLAIN PEOPLE.
THE WORLD WANTS RELIGION
FOR COMMON, EVERY DAY
PEOPLE.

The Rank and File of the Lords
Soldiery Need Especial Help,
Though None of Them May Ever
Lead an Army, Nor Write "A state
Constitution, Nor EIcctrify "A SEN
ate. Nor Decide the Fate of Ma
tiOn-Thnnk God That You Are Not
ExtraOrdinary-The Work of the
world Done by the Common PeO-
pie.
New York. July 21.-Rev. DR.. Talmage,
who is still absent on his annual mid
summer tour. preaching and lecturlng. has
prepared for to-day a sermon on plain
People" a topic which will appeal to
very large majority Of readers anywhere.
The text selected was: Romans Is; u. Is.
salute Asyncritus. Phlegon. Hermas,
Palrobas. Hermas. Philologus and Julia"
Matthew Henry. Albert Barnes. Adam
Clark, Thomas Scott. and all the COM
mentators pass by these verses without
any especial remark The other twenty
people mentioned in the chapter were dis
tinguished for something. and were. there
fore, discussed by the iHustrious eXposit-
ors; but nothing is said about Asyncritus,
Phlegon. Hermas. Patrobas Hermes. PHI
lologus 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? Absolutely for
nothing, or the trait of character would
have been brought out by the apostle.
If they had been very intrepid OF 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 ordinary sphere. attend
ing to ordinary duty, and meeting ordinary
responsibilities.
What the world wants IS a religion for
ordinary people. II there be in the United
States 100000 people, there are certainly
not more than 1000. 900 extraordinary; and
then there are 6i.0OO00O ordinary. and we
do well to turn our backs 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
remarkables. and building thrones for
magnates, and sculpturing warriors, and
aporheosizing philanthropists. The rank
and file of the Lords soldiery need especial
help.
The vast majority Of people to whom this
sermon comes will never lead an army. will
never write a state constitution, viii never
olectrify a Senate. will never make an inn
portant invention. viii never introduce a
new philosophy, will never decide the fate
Of nation. You do not expect to; you do
not want TO. You viii not be a Moses to
lead a nation out of bondage. You VIII
not be Joshua to prolong the daylight
until you eau shut five kings in a cavern.
calypse. You will not be a Paul to pre-
side over an apostolic college. You will not
be a Mary to mother a Christ
You will more probably be
Asyncritus. or Phlegon, or Hermas, or Pa
trobas. or Hermes. or Philolgus 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 judg-
anent 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 the sanitary reg
ulations Of your house are under your su-
pervision. To regulate the food. and the
apparel and the habits, and decide the
thousand questions OF home life Is a tax
upon brain and nerve and general health
absolutely appalling, If there be no divine
alienation.
IL
that Elizabeth Fry did wonderful things
amid the criminals of Newgate 1t does
not help you much to be told that Mrs.
Judson was very brave among the Borne
sian cannibals, IL does not help you much
TO be told that Florence Nightingale was
very kindto the woundedin the Crimea. II
would be better for me to tell you that
the divine Friend of Mary and Martha is
your Friend, and that he sees all the an
noyances and disappointments and abra-
sions and eXasperations of an ordinary
h0usekeeper from morn till night, and
from the first day of the year TO the last
day of the year, and at your call he is
ready with help and reinforcement
They who provide the food Of the world
decide the health of the world. One of the
greatest battles of this century was lost
because the commander that morning had
a fit of indigestion. You have only TO go
on some errand amid the taverns and the
hotels of the United States and Great
Britain to appreciate the fact that a vast
multitude of the human race are slaught-
cred by incompetent cookery. Though a
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
apparel of the world and the food Of the
world, decide the endurance of the world
An minimizing man may consider it
matter OF little lmpofIance-the cares OF
the household and the economies of domes-
tie life-but I tell you the earth is strewn
with the martyrs of kitchen and nursery.
The health-shattered womanhood of Amer
lea cries out for a God who can help or
binary women in the ordinary duties of
housekeeping. The wearing, grinding un-
appreciated 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 broil-
ing when the sportsmen stepped ashore
chilled and hungry, will help every woman
10 prepare breakfast, whether by her own
hand, or the hand of her hired help. The
God who made indestructible eulogy of
Hannah, who made coat for Samuel, her
son, and carried it 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 en-
tertainment of the three angels on the
plains of Mamre viii help every woman to
provide hospitality. however rare and en-
barrassing. 1t Is high time that some of
the attention we have been giving TO the
remarkable women of the Bible-remarka-
BILE for their virtue or their want OF it, or