Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-12-11
DOING GOOD WISELY.
REV. DR.. TALMAGs,s SERMON ON
COMMON SENSE IN RELIGION.

Alert Busincss Mon Who Arc LaGEardl
IN Acairs OF tho Soul-More Common
Scnsc Needed In Church Building and
In Building Up the Christian Character.
copyright, 1897. by American Press Asso-
ciation.l
WASHINGTON, Doc. DIR. TalmaGs
in this discourse advocates more prac-
teal wisdom in efforts at doing good
and assails some Of the absurdities IN
church architecture and management.
The text is Luke xvi, s, 1.-The children
of this world are in their generation
wiser than The children Of light. ?"
That is another way of saying that
Christians arc not SO skillful i'll the
manipulation of spiritual affairs as
worldliugs are skillful III the manage
ment of temporalities. 1 see all around
me people who are alert, earnest. con-
centrated and skillful in monetary mat
tiers, who III the affairs Of the soul are
laggards, inane, inert. The great want
of the world is more common sense III
matters of religion. If one-half of the
skill and forcefulness employed in finan-
cial affairs was employed in disseminat-
ing tho truths of Christ and trying to
make the world better, within ten years
the last Juggernaut would fall, the last
throne of oppression upset, the last in
iouity tumble and the anthem that was
chanted over Bethlehem on Christmas
night would be echoed and ro-cchoed
from all nations and kindred and peo-
pie, "Glory to God in tho highest, and
on earth peace, good will to men. "
Some years ago, on a train going to-
ward tho southwest, as the porter of the
sleeping car was making up the berths
at the evening tide, saw man kneel
down to pray. Worldly people looked
Oh as much rs to say, "What does this
mean?" suppose the most of tho peo-
pie in tho car thought that the man was
either insane or that he was q fanatic,
but no disturbed 10 one when he knelt
and he disturbed no one when he arose.
III after conversation with him l found
out that he was member of a church
in Il northern city, that hewas seafar-
ing man, and that he was Oh his way to
New Orleans to take command OF YES
sci. l thought, then, as l think now,
that ten such men-mcn with such cour-
age for God as that man had-ten such
men would bring the whole city to
Christ. \ thousand such men would
bring this whole land to God Ten thou
sand such men, III short time, would
bring tho whole Garth into the kingdom
OF Jesus. That he was successful III
worldly affairs, found out. That he
was skillful in spiritual affairs, you are
well persuaded. If men had the courage,
the pluck, the alertncss, the acumen,
the industry, the common sense i'll mat
tiers of the soul, that they have i'll mat
tiers of the world, this would BIO a very
different kind of earth in which to live
More Common Sense In Church Building.
In tho first place, my friends, we
want more common sense i'll the build
ing and conduct of churches. The idea
of adaptiveness is always paramount III
any other kind of structure. If bankers
meet together and they resolve upon
putting up bank, the bank is especial
ly adapted to banking purposes. If a
manufacturing company puts upa build
ing it is to lie adapted to manufacturing
purposes But adaptiveness is not always
the question in the rearing of churches
In many of our churches we want more
light, more room, more ventilation,
more comfort. Vast sums Of money are
expended on ecclesiastical structures,
and men sit down in them, and you ask
man how he likes the church. He says,
"I like it very we'll, but can't hear. y
As though Il shawl factory were good
for everything but making shawls The
voice of the preacher dashes against the
pillars. Men sit down under the shadows
of the Gothic arches and shiver and feel
they must be getting religion or some
thing else they feel so uncomfortable.
Oh, my friends, we want more COM
mon sense in the rearing of churches
There is no excuse for lack Of light
when the heavens are full Of it, no ex-
cuse for lack Of fresh air when the
world swims in it, 1t ought to be an
expression not only of our spiritual hap
piness, but of our physical comfort,
when we say: "How amiable are thy
tabernacles, . Lord God of hosts! a
day in thy courts is better than thou
sand. I"
Again, remark we want more COM
mon sense in the obtaining of religious
hope All men understand that in order
to succeed in worldly directions they
must concentrate. They think Oh that
one object, on that one subject, until
their mind takes fire with the velocity
of their own thoughts. All their acu-
men, all their strategy, all their WIS
dom, all their common sense they put
in that one direction, and they succeed.
But how seldom it is true in the matter
of seeking after God. While no man
expects to accomplish anything for this
world without concentration and enthu-
siasm how many there are expecting
after awhile to get into the kingdom Of
God without the use Of any such means.
The Mountain of Gods Love.
y miller in California many years
y. picked up sparkle of gold fren
tie bed of stream which turned hi.
mill. He held up that sparkle of gold
until it bcwitched nations. Tens o.
thousands of people left their homes
They took their blankets and their pick
axes am; their pistols and went to the
wilds of California. Cities sprang NJ
suddenly on the Pacific coast. Mer
chants put aside their elegant appare
and put Gu the miners garb. All the
land was full of the talk about gold
Gold in the eyes, gold in the ears, golc
in the wake of ships, gold i'll the street:
gold, gold, gold
Word comes to us that the mountain
of Gods love is full of gold; that mer
have been digging there and have