The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1901-05-16
THE JOY OF RELIGION
DR.. Talmage Urges All to Try Its
Uplifting Power.
He rncterizes Religion as Gods
Daughter Sermon from the
Text, .'Her Ways Are Ways
of PIeasantness."
copyright, 1901, by Louis Klopsch. N. VI
Washington,

tCopy right, 1901. by Louis Klopsch. N. VI
Washington,
In this discourse DIR. Talmage sets
forth religion as an exhilaration, and
urges all people to try it's uplifting
power; text, Proverbs 8, II: Her
ways are ways of pleasantness.'
You have all heard of Gods only
begotten 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 intro
duces 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
effect sometimes produced. Every
year l tear out another leaf from
my theology, until l have only three
or four leaves left-in other words,
a very brief and plain statement of
Christian belief.
An aged Christian minister said:
"When [ was young man, l knew
everything. When l got to be 35
years of age, in my creed I had only
hundred doctrines of religion. When
l got to be 60 years of age, l had
only so doctrines of religion. When
/ got to be 60 years of age l had
only ten doctrines of religion, and
now l am dying at Is years of age,
and there is only one thing l know,
and that is that Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners" And
so Ihave noticed 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 belief as being nonessen-
tial, while cling to the one great doc
trine that man is sinner and Christ
is his Almighty and Divine Saviour.
Now | take these three or four
leaves of my theology, and l find that
in the first place and dominant above
all others is the sunshine of religion.
When l go into room, have pas
sion for throwing open all the shut
ters. That is what l want to do this
morning. We are apt to throw so
much of the sepulchral into our re-
ligion and to close the shutters and
to pull down the blinds that it is only
through here and there crevice that
the light streams. The religion of
wi ,s{ &c
JOY indescribable and unutterable.
Wherever l can find a bell I 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 depart this service before the
fairest and the 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, daugh-
ter of the Lord 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
Tor 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, what are you
doing there?" "Oh," replied the child
81 am getting a spoonful of this sun.
shine" Would God that to-day ]
might present you with a cleaning
chalice of this glorious, everlas sting
Gospel sunshine!
First of all, I find a great deal o.
sunshine in Christian society. 1 dc
not know of anything more dolefu
than the companionship of the mer.
funmakers of the world-the Thoma!
Hoods, the Charles Lambs, tn,
Charles Mathewses of the world-th,
men whose entire business it is t,
make sport. They make others laugh
but If you will examine their auto
biography or biography you will fnc
that down in their soul there was
terrific disquietude. Laughter is n,
sign of happiness. The mania
laughs. The hyena laughs. The loo1
among the Adirondacks laughs. Th
drunkard, dashing his decante
against the wall, laughs.
There is terrible reaction from al
sinful amusement and sinful merri
ment. Such men are cross the mex
day. They snap at you on exchang
or they pass you, not recognizing you
Long ago l quit mere worldly societ
for the reason it was so dull, so imam
and SO stupid. My nature is voraciou
of joy. l must have it.
| l always walk on the sunny side Q
the street, and for that reason l hav
crossed over into Chris tian society.
like their mode of repartee better.
like their style of amusement bette,
They live longer. Christian people,
sometimes notice, live on when by a
natural law they ought to have die,
] have known persons who have COZ
tinued in their existence when tn
doctor said they ought to have bee
dead ten years. Every day of the
existence was defance of the Law
OF anatomy and physiology. but the