The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1897-01-28
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Need of the Hour is More Proc
teal Religion.
"Faith without Works Is Dead'-There
Must Be New Departure In the
Application of Religion to
Everyday Affairs.

ton. Ills sermon was DaSeo On tAe
text:
Faith without works is dead. James H.,
20.
The Roman Catholic church has been
charged with putting too much stress
upon good works and not. enough upon
faith. l charge Professionalism with
putting not enough stress upon good
works as connected with salvation.
Good works will never save man,
but if man have not good works he
has no real faith and no genuine re-
ligion. There are those who depend
upon the fact that they are all right
inside, while their conduct is wrong
outside. Their religion, for the most
part, is made up of talk-vlgo
talk, fluent talk, boastful talk, per-
petual talk They will entertain you
by the hour in telling you how good
they are. They come up to such
higher life that they have no patience
with ordinary Christians in the plain
discharge of their duty. AS near as
can tell, this ocean craft is mostly sail
and very little tonnage. Foretopmast
staysail, foretopmast studding sail,
maintopsail, mizzentopsail - every
thing from flying jib to mizzen spanker,
but making no useful voyage. Now,
the world has got tired Of this and it
wants a religion that will work into
all the circumstances of life. We do
not want new religion, but the old
religion applied in all possible direc-
tons.
| Yonder is river with steep and
rocky banks, and it roars like young
Niagara as it rolls on over its rough
bed. 1t does nothing but talk about
itself all the way from its source in
the mountain to the place where it
empties into the sea. The banks are
SO steep that the cattle can not come
down to drink. 1t does not run one
fertilizing rill into the adjoining field.
1t has not one grist mill or factory on
either side. 1t sulks in wet weather
with chilling fogs. Noone cares when
that river is born among the rocks,
and no one cares when it dies into the
sea. But yonder is another river, and
1t MOSES its banks with the warm
tides, and it rocks with floral ]ulluby
the water lilies asleep on its bosom.
1t invites herds of cattle and focks Of
sheep and conveys of birds to come
there and drink. It has three grist-
mills on one side and six cotton fac
tories on the other. 1t Is the wealth
Of 200 miles of luXuriant farms. The
birds Of heaven chanted when it was
born in the noun tains. and the ocean
shipping will press in from the sea to
hail it as it comes down from the At
Iantic coast. The one river is a man
who lives for himself. The other river
is a man who lives for others.
Do you know how the site of the an
cient City of Jerusalem was chosen?
, There were two brothers who had adj
Joining farms. The one brother had
large family, the other had no fam
lily. The brother with the large fam.
lily said: There is my brother with
40 family; he must be lonely, and ]
will try to cheer him up, and | will
take some of the sheaves from my field
IN the night time and set them over
On his farm, and say nothing abou,
it" The other brother said: "My
brother has a large family, and it is
very difficult for him to support them
and Evil! help him along, and l will
take some of the sheaves from IN,
farm in the night time, and
set them over on his farm, anC
say nothing about it," So the work o.
transference went on night after
night, and night after night; bu
every morning things seemed to bt
just as they were, for. though sheave.
had been subtracted from each farm
sheaves had also been added, and the
brothers were perplexed and could no
understand. But one night tn,
brothers happened to meet while max
Ing this generous transference, anC
the spot where they met was SO sacree
that 1t was chosen as the site of tn.
city of Jerusalem. If that tradition
should prove unfounded, it will never
theless stand as a beautiful allegory
setting forth the idea that wherever
, kindly and generous and loving act i
| performed, that is the spot fit Tor som,
temple of concentration.
l have often spoken to you abou
faith, but this morning l speak to 70,
, HOOut WOTkS, LOT laltn without work
!. is dead" think you will agree witt
me i'll the statement that the grea
: want of this world is more practica
: religion. We want practical religion
to go into all merchandise 1t will su
pervise the labelling of goods. 1t viii
,, not allow man to say that thin
{ wa. made in one factory when it wa
, made in another. 1t will not allo,
the merchant to say that watch wa
, manufactured In Geneva, Switzerland
. when it was manufactured in Massa
Chusetts. 1t will not allow the me,
chant to say that wine came from Ma
: deira when it came from California
Practical religion will walk along b
the store shelves and tear off all tn
tags that make misrepresentation !
j, will not allow the merchant to sa
that is pure coffee when dandelio
root and chickory and other ingred
ents go into it. 1t will not allow hi1
" to say that is pure sugar when Their
are in 1t sand and ground glass.
$ When practical religion gets it's flu