Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1901-04-19
AS AN EXPLANATION.
Or. TaImage Says Christianity is Uplft'
ing and Dispels MeIanchOlia.
The Fate Of Young Men Who Go In fol
Sinful Amusements.
Copyright 1901. ]

DR.. Talmage sets forth religion as an ex-
hilaration, and urges all people to try its
uplifting power; text, Proverbs III, II,
"Her WAYS are ways of pleasantness.
You have all heard of Gods only begot-
ten Son. Have you heard of Gods daugh-
ter? She was born in heaven. She came
down over the hills of our world. She had
oueenly step. On her brow was celestial
radiance. Her voice was music. Her name
is religion. My text introduces her. Her
ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her
paths are peace" But what is religion;
The fact is that theological study has had
a different effect upon me from the e11ect
sometimes produced. Every year l tear
out another leaf from my theology until L
have only three or four leaves lett-ln
other words, a very brief and PLAIN state
ment of Christian belief. ,,
An AGED Christian minister said "When
I was a young man, l knew everything;
when I got to be thirty-five years OF age,
in my creed I had only hundred doc
trines of religion; when | got to be forty
wears of age / had only fifty doctrines OF
religion; when j got to be sixty years OF
age / had only ten doctrines Of religion,
and now | am dying at seventy-tive years
of age, and there is only thing L know,
and that is that Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners" And SO have
noticed in the study of Gods word, and IN
nv contemplation of the character OF God
and of the eternal world, that it Is neces:,
sarv for me to drop this part of my belief
and that part of my belief as being non.
essential, while | cling to the one great
doctrine that man is sinner, and Chrlst
is his Almighty, and divine Saviour.
Now, take these three or four leaves
nd hot the
first place and dominant above all others,
is The sunshine of religion. When | go
into a room l have passion for throwing
open all the shutters. That is what L
want to do this morning. We are apt to
throw so much of the sepulchral into our
religion and to close the shutters and to
null down the blinds that is is only
through here and there crevice that the
light Streams. The religion of the Lord
Jesus Christ is a religion of JOY indescrib'
able and unutterable. Wherever l can
find bell mean to ring 1t.
IL there are any in this house this morn
ing who are disposed to hold on to their
melancholy and gloom, let them. now de;
part this service before the tairest ana s
brightest and the most radiant being, OF
all the universe comes in. Gods Son has
left our world, but Gods daughter is here:
Give her room! Hail, Princess of Heaven;
Hail daughter of The Lord God Almighty
| Come in and make this house thy throne
ROOM =,
In setting forth this idea. the dominant
| theory of religion is one or sunshine, L
hardly know where to begin, for there are
so many thoughts that rush upon my soul
| A mother saw her little child seated on
| the floor in the sunshine and with spoon
in her hand. She said, my darling, VIA
are you doing there" ooh" replled the
child, 81 am getting a. spoonful OF thls
sunshine" Would God that to-day
might present you with cleaning cha,
lice of this glorious, everlasting gospel
sunshine! =
First of all, I find a great deal OF sun
shine in Christian society. DO not
know of anything more doleful than the
companionship OF the mere funmakers OF
the world-the Thomas Hoods, the Charles
Lambs, the Charles Mathewses of the
world-the men whose entire business II
is to make sport. -
They make others laugh, but If you
will examine their autobiography. or ol-
ography you will find that down IN their
soul there was terrific dlsquetnM1le.
Laughter is no sign Of happiness. I in
maniac laughs. The hyena laughs. The
loon among the Adirondacks laughs. The
VI
the wall, laughs. -. ~
There is a terrible reaction from all
sS| uncih men aua are cross the next day. They
snap at you on exchange or they pass you,
not recognizing you. Long, ago L quit
mere worldly society for the reason II
was so dull, so inane and so stupid. My
nature is voracious of JOY. l must have
| it.
[ always walk on the sunny side of the
street, and for that reason l have crossed
over into Christian society. l like Their
mode of repartee better. l like their
style of amusement better. They live
longer. Christian people, l sometimes no
tice, live on when by all natural law they
ought to have died. I have known per-
sons who have continued in their ex-
istence when the doctor said they ought
to have been dead ten years. Every DAY
of their existence was defiance OF the
laws of anatomy and physiology, but they
had this supernatural .vivacity OF the Cos
pei in their soul, and that kept them alive.
Put ten or twelve Christian people in
room for Christian conversation, and
you will from eight to ten O'Clock, hear
more resounding glee, see more bright
strokes of wit and find more thought and
profound satisfaction than in any merely
worldly party. Now, when | say worldly
party" I mean that to which you are in
vited because under all the circum-
stances of the case it is better that you
90, and, leaving the shawls on the second
hoor you 60 to the parlor to give formal
salutation to the host and the. hostess
whole evening in the discussion of the
weather and in apology for treading on
long trains and in effort to keep The
corners of the mouth up to the sign of
pleasure and going around with an idiotic
he-he about nothing until the collation. is
served and then, after the collation. is
served, going back again into the parlor
to resume the weather and then at the
| close going at a very late hour to the host
and hostess and assuring them that you
have had a most delightful evening and
then passing down off the front steps, the
slam of the door the only satisfaction of
the evening.
O young man come from the country to
spend your days. in city life, where are
you going to spend your evenings! Let
me tell you, while there are manv places
of innocent worldly amusement, it is most
wise for you to throw your body, mind
! and soul into Christian society. Come to
me at the close of five years and tell me
what has been the result of this advice
Bring with you the young man who re-
fused to take the advice, and who went
into sinful amusement. He will come dis
sipated, shabby in apparel, indisposed to
look any one in the eyes, moral character
eighty-fve per cent. off. You will come
with principle settled, countenance frank,
habits good, soul saved, and all the in
habitants of heaven, from the lowest
angel up to the archangel and clear past
him to the Lord God Almighty, your CO.
adjutors.