Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1901-04-19
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
THE UPLIFTING POWER OF RE-
LIGION" THE THEME.
"Her Ways Are WSys of Pleasantness''
From the Book OF Proverbs, Chapter
III. Verse 1.-THE Sunshine of the
Christian Life-Self Denial

Washington, April l4.-ln this us
course Dr. Talmage sets forth religion
as an eXhilaratiOn and urges all people
to try its uplifting power; text, Pro-
verbs III, II, Her ways are ways OF
pleasantneSs"
You have all heard of Gods only be-
gotten Son. Have you heard of Gods
daughter? She was born in heaven.
She came down over the hills of our
world She had queenly 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 ef-
feet sometimes produced. Every year
1 tear out another leaf from my the
olOgy until | have only three or four
leaves left-in other words, very
brief and plain statement of Christian
belief.
An aged Christian minister said:
when l was a young man knew ev-
erything When | got to be 50 years
of age. in my creed | had only hun
dred doctrines of religion. When l got
TO be 40 years of age, | had only oO
doctrines of religion. When l got to
be so years of age. l had only ten doc
trines of religion, and now ] an dying
at 10 years of age and there is only
one thing | know and that is that
Christ Jesus came into the world to
hox N r.
ticed in the study of Gods word and
in my contemplation of the character
of God and of the eternal world that
it is necessary for me to drop this part
of my belief and that part of my be-
lief as being non-essential, while
cling to the one great doctrine that
man is a sinner and Christ is his Al
mighty and Divine Savior.
Now, | take these three or four
leaves of my theology, and | find that
in the first place and dominant above
all others is the sunshine of religion.
When | so into a room. have pas
sion for throwing open all the shut
tiers. That is what | want to do this
morning We are apt to throw so
much OF the sepulchral into our relig
ion and to close the shutters and to
pull down the blinds that it is only
through here and there a crevice that
the light streams The religion of the
Lord Jesus Christ is a religion of joy
indescribable and unutterable Wher-
ever 1 can find a bell | mean to ring
it.
If there are any in this house this
morning who are disposed to hold on
to their melancholy and gloom, let
them now depart this service before
the fairest and brightest and the most
radiant being of all the universe
comes in. Gods Son has left the 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
thrOnerOom.
In setting forth this idea the domi-
nant theory of religion is one of sun
shine. | 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 a spoon in her
hand. She said, My darling, what are
you doing there?" oh" replied the
child. Il am getting spoonful of this
sunshine" Would God that today
might present you with a cleaning
chalice of this glorious, everlasting
gospel sunshine,
Sunshine OF Christianity.
First of all, | find a great deal Of
sunshine 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 it is to make
sport. They make others laugh, but if
you will examine their autobiography
or biography, you will find that down
in their soul there was a terrific dis
quietude- Laughter is no sign of hap
piness. The maniac laughs. The hy-
ena laughs. The loon among the
Adirondacks laughs. The drunkard,
dashing his decanter against the wall.
laughs.
There is terrible reaction from all
sinful amusement and sinful merri-
ment. Such men are cross the next
day. They snap at you on exchange or
they pass you, not recognizing YOU
Long ago / quit mere worldly society
for the reason it 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 | have
crossed over into Christian society. I
like their mode of repartee better. |
like their style of amusement better.
They live longer. Christian people, I
sometimes notice, live on when by all
natural law they ought to have died.
| have known persons who have con-
tinued in their existence when the doc
tor said they ought to have been dead
ten years. Every day of their exist
ence was a defiance Of the laws of
anatomy and physiology, but they had
this supernatural vivacty of the Cos
pei in their soul. and that kept them
alive.
The Question of Self Denial.
l know there is great deal of talk
about the self-denials of the Christian.
have to tell you that where the Chris
tan has one self denial the man of the
world has thousand self denials. The