The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1896-04-03

Building.
WASHINGTON, March 29.-In his ser
mon today Dr.. Talmage discussed 6
subject of universal interest-viz, "Oul
Social Recreations. - His text was cho
sen from Corinthians vii, 81, "They
that use this world as not abusing it. y
Judges xvi, 25: "And it came to pass
when their hearts were merry, that they
us sport. -
There were 5000 people assembled in
the temple of Dagon. They had come tc
make sport of eyeless Samson. They
were all ready for the entertainment.
They began to clap and pound, impa-
tient for the amusement to begin, and
they cried, Fetch him out, fetch him
out |" Yonder [ see the blind old giant
coming, led by the hand of child into
the very midst of the temple AT his
first appearance there goes up shout of
laughter and derision. The blind old
giant pretends he is tired, and wants to
rest himself against the pillars of the
house. So he says to the lad who leads
him, "Show me where the main pillars
are - The lad does SO. Then the strong
man puts his right hand on one pillar
and his left hand ON another pillar, and
with the mightiest push that mortal
ever made, throws himself forward I'M
til the whole house comes down in
thunderous crash, grinding the audience
like grapes in winapress. "And so it
came to pass, when their hearts were
merry, that they said, call for Samson,
that he may make us sport. And they
called for Samson out of the prison
house, and he made them sport -
In other words, there are amusements
that are destructive, and bring down
disaster and death upon the heads of
those who practice them. While they
laugh and cheer, they die, The 5000
who persisted that day in GAIA, are as
nothing compared to the tens of thous-
ands who have been destroyed by sinful
amusements.
For Use, Not Abuse.
But my first text implies that there is
lawful use of the world, as we'll as an
unlawful abuse of it, and the difference
between the man Christian and the man
un- Christian is that in the former case
the man masters the world, while in the
latter case the world masters him. For
whom did God make this grand and
beautiful world? For whom this won
derful expenditure of color, this grace
fulness of line, this mosaic of the
ground, this fresco of the sky, this glow
ing fruitage of orchard and vineyard,
this full orchestra of the tempest, in
which the tree branches flute, and the
winds trumpet, and the thunders drum,
and all the splendors of earth and sky
come clashing their cymbals! For whom
did God spring the arched Bridge of col
ors resting upon buttresses of broken
storm cloud? For whom did he gather
the upholstery Of fire around the win
dow of the setting sun? For all men,
but more especially for his own dear
children.
If you build a large mansion and
spread great feast after it to celebrate
the completion of the structure, do you
allow strangers to come in and occupy
the place, while you thrust your own
children in the kitchen, or the barn, or
the fields? Oh, moi You say, II am very
glad to see strangers in my mansion, but
my own sons and daughters shall have
the first right there" Now, God has
built this grand mansion of a world, and
he has spread glorious feast in it, and
while those who are strangers to his
grace may come in, | think that God es-
pecially intends to give the advantage to
his own children-those who are the
sons and daughters of the Lord AL
mighty, those who through grace can
look up and say, abba, Father. y You
cannot make ME believe that God gives
more advantages to the world than he
gives to the church bought by his own
blood. If, therefore, people of the world
have looked with dolorous sympathy
upon those who make profession of re-
ligion and have said "Those new con-
verts are going down into privation and
into hardship. Why did they not tarry
little longer in the world and have some
of it's enjoyments and amusements and
recreations?" l say to such men of the
world. "You are greatly mistaken" and
before 1 get through l will show that
those people who stay out of the king
dom of God have the hardships and self
denials. while those who come in have
the joys and satisfactions.
In the name of the King of heaven
and earth 1 serve writ of ejectment
upon all the sinful and polluted who
have squatted on the domain of earthly
pleasure as though it belonged to them,
while l claim in behalf of the good and
the poor and the true, the eternal in
heritance which God has given them.
Hitherto, Christian philanthropists,
clerical and lay, have busted themselves
chiefly in denouncing sinful recreations,
but feel we have no right to stand be-
fore men and women in whose hearts
there is desire for recreation amount
ing to positive necessity, denouncing
this and that and the other thing, VIII,
we do not propose to give them some
thing better. God helping me and with
reference to my last account, shall en-
ter upon sphere not usual in sermon
izing, but subject which think ought
to be presented at this time | propose