The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1898-01-07
DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
a Practical Discourse on a Prac-
tic..l Subject.
some Absurdities In Church Building and
Management More Practical Wisdom
Needed la Christian Endcayor
and In Church Worh

DiscoarsiDg upon the text luke XVI,
ii: The children Of this world are
in their generation wiser THAN the
children of light" DR.. Talmage, in a
recent sermon, assalled some OF the
absuIdities in church architecture and
management, and advocated more
practical methods in efforts to do good.
He said:
That is another way Of saying that
Christians are not 50 shiilfui in the
manipulation Of spiritual affairs as
worIdlings are skillfnl in the manage
ment OF temporulities. lsee all around
me people who are alert, earnest, con-
ceptratcd and sblliul in monetary
matters, who IN the affairs OF the soul
are laggards, iuane, inert. The great
want of the world is more common
sense in matters OF religion. III one
half of the skill and force
fuIness employed in financial AFFAIRS
was employed in disseminating the
truths OF Christ, and trying to make
| The world BETTER within ten years the
.uggernaut would fall, the last throne
! of oppression upset, the last lniqnlty
| tumble, and the anthem that was
| chauted over Bethlehem on Christmas
| night would be echoed and re-echoed
| from all nations and kindred and peo~
| pie: Glory to God in the highest, ana
on earth peace, good will to men"
f,.
Some years ago, Oh train gong 'o
| ward the southwest, as the porter OF
| the sleeping car was making up Ihe
| bcrths at the evening tide, 1 saw
| man knecl down and pray. worldly
| people looked on as much as to say
"lYbat does this mean?' lsuppose the
! most OF people in the car thought That
| the man was either insane or that he
| " as fanatic; but he disturbed no one
| when he kueIt and he disturbed no
| one when he arose. In after versa
ton with him | found ont that ne
| was a member of church IN noTth-
ern city, that he was seatarlhs ihhh'
| and that he WAS on his way 10
| New Orleans to take command
| of IL vessel. | thought then, AS
| think now that ten such men~-meh
| with such courage for God MS mat man
| had-,teu such men would BRING Inc
whole city to Christ; u thousand sueh
| men would bring the whole earth lnto
| fla, kingdom of Jesus. That he was
successful in worldly affairs, iooho
out, That Ae was sklIlful in spiritual
nlrairs, Won are well persuaded. Ii
men had the courage, the pluck, the
alertness, the ncpri.gt., 'dfto INDUSTRY,
| tho ne,z..inon sense IN matters of the
soul shat they have 10 matters or the
world. this would be IL very different
kind of earth in which to live.
In the first place, my friends, we
want more common sense III the oulld-
| inc and conduct of churches. The ldea
of adaptiyeness is always paramount
in any other kind of structure. III
bankers meet together, and they re-
solve upon putting up bank, the bank
is especially adapted to banking pur-
poses, if IL manufacturing company
nuts up Il building, it is to be adapted
to manufacturing purposes put aoap
tiyeness is not always the question IN
the rearing OF churches. In many
of our churches we want more
| light, more room, more Ventiia'
ton, more comfort. Vast sums OF
money are expended on eccleslastlcal
structures, and men sit down III thehi'
md YOU ask u man how he likes the
church,; he says: 81 like it very WELL
hut can't hear" AS though 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 uncomfortaple'
o, 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 spiritua
happiness, but Of our physical comfort
when we say: "llow amiable are thy
tabernacles. 0, Lord God OF Hosts
A day in thy courts is better than
thousand"
Again | remark: We want more
common sense in the obtaining o.
religious hope. All men understand
that in order to succeed in worldly di
rections they must concentrate. They
think on that one object, on that one
subject, until theirmind take fire witt
the velocity of their own thoughts. AL
their acumen, all their strategy al
their wisdom, all their common sens'
} they put in that one direction, ant
tbev succeed. But how seldom IL il
true in the matter OF seeking aftel
: God! While no man expects to accom-
plish anything for this world withou
concentration and enthusiasm, how
many there are expecting after awhil'
to get into the Kingdom of God with
J out use of any such means.
A miller in California, many year
ago, picked up sparkle OF gold from
the bed of u stream which turned hi
mill. He held up that sparkle of golt
until 1t bewitched nations. Tens o
thousands of people left their homes
They took their blankets, and thei
pickaxes, and their pistols, and wen
to the wilds of California Cite
sprang up suddenly on the Pacif
coast. Merchants put aside their ele
giant apparel, and put on the miner
garb. All the land was full of the tall
about gold. Gold in the eyes, gold II
: the ears. gold in the wake Of ships
gold in the streets--gold, gold. goldl
Word comes to us that the mountain
OF Gods love is full Of gold; that mel
have been digging there, and hav
brought up gold, and amethyst, an
carbuncle, and jasper, aud sardonyx
and chrysoprasus and all the preciou
stones out Of which the walls Of heavel
,rara huilded Word comes of n ma