The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1898-05-06
IA BRAWNY RELIGION.
Or. TALMAGE HERALDS IMPENDING
CHRISTIAN REVOLUTIONS.

Day of Great Revivals.
copyright $685. by American Press Asso-
ciation.l
WASHINGTON, May This discourse
of DR.. Talmage is revolutionary for
good in families and churches and ma
tions, and especially appropriate for
these times; text, Acts xvii, 6, "These
that have turned the world upside down
are come hither Also"
There is a wild, believing mob
around the house of Tason in Thessa-
lonica. What has the man done SO
greatly to offend the people? He has been
entertaining Paul and his comrades
The mob surround the house and cry:
"Bring out those turbulent preachers
They are interfering with our business
They are running our religion. They are
actually turning the world upside
down."
The charge was true, for there is
nothing that SO interferes with sin,
there is nothing so ruinous to every
form of established iniquity, there is
nothing that has such tendency to turn
the world upside down, as our glorious
Christianity. The fact is that the world
now is wrong side up, and it needs to
be TUNED upside down in order that it
may be right side up. The time was
when men wrote books emitting them
Apologies For Christianity" I hope
that day has passed. We want no more
apologies for Christianity. Let the apol-
ogies be on the part of those who do
not believe in our religion. We do not
mean to make any compromise in the
matter. We do not wish to hide the
fact that Christianity is revolutionary,
and that its tendency is to turn the
world upside down.
Our religion has often been misrep-
resented as a principle of tears and
mildness and fastidiousness; afraid of
crossing peoples prejudioes; afraid of
making somebody mad; with silken
gloves lifting the people up from the
church pew into glory, as though they
were Bohemian glass, so very delicate
that with one touch it may be demolish-
ed forever. Men speak of religion as
though it were a refined imbecility; as
though it were spiritual ohloroform
that the people were to take until the |
sharp cutting Of life were over The
Bible, SO far from this, represents the |
religion of Christ as robust and brawny !
and upsetting 10000 |
things that now seem to be settled OH
firm foundations. I hear some man in
the house say, II thought religion was
peace. That is the final result. A
mans arm is out of place. Two men
come and with great effort put it back
to the socket. 1t goes back with great
pain. Then it gets we'll Our world is
horribly disordered and out of joint. 1t
must come under an omnipotent surgery,
beneath which there will be pain and
anguish before there can come perfect
health and quiet. l proclaim, there
fore, in the name of my Lord Jesus
Characterization
Christian Revolutions.
The religion of the Bible will make a
revolution in the family. Those things
that are wrong in the family circle will
be overthrown by it, while justice and
harmony will take the place. The hus-
only when he is fit to be. know a man
who spends all the money he makes in
drink as we'll as all the money that his
wife makes and sometimes sells the
children s clothes for rum. Do you tell
me that he is to be the head of that
household? If the wife have more no.
oility, more courage, more consistency,
more of all that is right, she shall have
the supremacy. You say that the Bible
says that the wife is to be subject to the
husband. l know it. But that is hus-
0and, not masculine caricature. There
Is no human or divine law that makes
! woman subordinate to a man I'M
worthy of her. When Christianity
comes into a domestic circle it will
give the dominancy to that one who is
;he most worthy of it.
AS religion comes in at the front
loor, mirth and laughter will not go
nut of the back door. 1t will not hopple
he children's feet John will laugh
ust as loud, and George will jump
higher than he ever did before. 1t will
teal from the little ones neither ball
Tor bat, nor hoop nor kite. 1t will es-
ablish a family altar. Angels will how
II over it. Ladders of light will reach :
Town to it. The glory of heaven will
tream upon it. The books of remem-
france will record it, and tides of ever
asting blessedness will pour from it, :
Not such a family altar as you may
AVE seen, where the prayer is long and .
long chapter is read, with tedious ex- :
lanation, and the exercise keeps on :
ntil the children's knees are sore and :
heir backs ache and their patience is ,
ost and for the seventh time they have
ounted all the rungs in the chair, but =,
mean family altar such as may have
een seen in your fathers house. You ..
nay have wandered far off in the paths
f sin and darkness, but you have never :
that family altar where father
nd mother knelt, importuninR God for .
our soul That is memory that man
ever gets over. There will be hearty.
Oyful family altar in every domesti, =
ircle. You will not have to go far to !
nd Hannah rearing her Samuel for the y