The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-02-16
THE ORDINARY PEOPLE.
Rev DR.. Talms ge breaches a Ser
mon TO- Their Benefit.
All Men Cannot be Great, But All Have
Duties to PerfOrm-The World Would
Not Make Much Progress With
Ort the Masses.

NoC MAKE mucn Progress With
Ort the Masses.
The famous Washington divine in
the following sermon calls the roll of
faithful men and noble women who are
not recognized or rewarded, and assures
them that their work is not overlooked
by their Heavenly Father. His text
was Romans 16: 14-15: "Salute Asyn-
critus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas,
Hermes, Philologus and Julia"
Matthew Henry, Albert Barns Adam
Clark, Thomas Scott and all the COM
mentators pass by these verses with
out any especial remark. The other 20
people mentioned in the chapter were
distinguished for something and were
therefore discussed by the illustrious
expositors; but nothing is said about
Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patro-
bas, Hermes, Philologus and Julia.
Where were they born? No one knows.
When did they dieP There is no record
OF their decease. For what were they
distinguished Absolutely nothing, or
the trait of character would have been
brought out by the apostle. If they
had been very intrepid, or opulent or
hirsute or musical of cadence, or Grass
OF style, or in any wise anomalous, that
feature would have been caught by the
apostolic camera. But they were good
people, because Paul sends to them
his high Christian regards. They
were ordinary people moving in ordi-
nary sphere, attending to ordinary
duty and meeting ordinary RESPONSE
bilities
What the world wants is religion
for ordinary people. If there be in the
United States 7O,O0OOOO people there
are certainly not more than 1000, 900
extraordinary, and then there are 69,-
100000 ordinary, and we lowell to turn
our backs for little while upon the dis
tinguished and conspicuous people of
the Bible and consider in our text the
seven ordinary. We spend too much of
our time in twisting garlands for re-
markables, and building thrones for
magnates, and sculpturing warriors,
and apotheosizing philanthropists. The
rank and file of the Lords soldiery
need especial help.
Many of you are women at the head
of households. Every morning you
plan for the day. The culinary depart
ment of the household is in your do
minion. You decide all questions of
diet. All the sanitary regulations of
your house are under your supervision.
To regulate the food, and the apparel,
and the habits, and decide the thou
sand questions of home life, is a tax
upon brain and nerve and general
health absolutely appalling, if there
b. no national guard company.
1t does not help you much to be told
that Elizabeth Fry did wonderful
things amid the criminals at Newgate.
1t does not help you much to be told
that Mrs. Judson was very brave among
the Bornesian cannibals. 1t does not
help you very much to be told that
Florence Nightingale was very kind to
the wounded in the Crimea. 1t would
be better for me to tell you that the
divine friend of Mary and Martha is
your friend, and that He sees all the
annoyances and disappointments and
abrasions, and eXasperations of an Or
dinary housekeeper from morn till
night, and from the first day of the
year until the last day of the year, and
at your call He is ready with help and
reinforcement.
They who provide the food of the
world decide the health of the world.
You have only to go on some errand
amid the taverns and the hotels of the
United States and Great Britain to APP
preciate the fact that vast multitude
of the human race are slaughtered by
incompetent cookery. Though young
woman may have taken lessons in mu-
sic, and may have taken lessons in
painting, and lessons in astronomy,
she is not well educated unless she has
taken lessons in dough.
An unthinking man may consider
it matter of little importance-the
cares of the household and the econo-
mics of domestic life-butI 1 tell you
the earth is strewn with martyrs of
kitchen and nursery. The health
shattered womanhood of America cries
out Cor God who can help ordinary
women in the ordinary duties of house
keeping. The wearing, grinding, I'M
appreciated work goes on, but the
same Christ who stood on the bank of
Galilee in the early morning and kin
died the fire and had the fish already
cleaned and broiling when the sports
men stepped ashore, chilled and hun
CRY, will help every woman to prepare
breakfast, whether by ,r own hand
or the hand of her hired help.
Then there are all the ordinary bust
ness men. They need divine and Chris
tian help. When we begin to talk
about brniness life we shoot right off
and talk about men who did business
on large scale, and who sold millions
of dollars of goods year; and the
vast majority of business men do not
sell million dollars of goods, nor half
million, nor quarter of a million, nor
the eighth part of a million. Put all
the business men of our cities, towns,
villages, and neighborhoods side by
side, and you will find that they sell
less than 100000 worth of goods. All
these men in ordinary business life want
divine help. You see how the wrinkles
are printing on the countenance the
story of worriment and care You can
not tell how old business man is by
looking at him. Gray hairs at 80. A
man at 45 with the stoop of nonoge-