The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1901-04-19
THE JOY OF RELIGION
Dr.. Talmage Urges All to Try Its
Uplifting Power.
He Chnracterizes Religion as Gods
Daughter Sermon from the
Text, "Her Ways Are Ways
of PIeasantness."

Copyright, 1901, by Louis Klopsch, N. VI
Washington,
In this discourse DR.. Talmage sets
urges all people to try its uplifting
power; text, Proverbs 3, 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 qucenly
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.
very brief and plain statement of
Christian belief.
An aged Christian minister said:
"When l was a young man, L knew
everything. When L got to be 35
years of age, in my creed l had only a
hundred doctrines of religion. When
/ got to be 60 years of age, L had
only so doctrines of religion. When
! got to be GO years of age l had
only ten doctrines of religion, and
now 1 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 l cling to the one greatdoc-
trine that man is a 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
tiers. 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
the Lord Jesus Christ is religion OF
JOY indescriba BILE and unuttera BILE
Wherever 1 can find a bell 1 mean to
ring it.
If there arc any in this house this
i. I
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 Heavenl 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. l hardly know where to begin
| for there are so many thoughts that
rush upon my soul. \ mother saw he1
! 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 a spoonful of this sun
| shine" Would God that to-day
might present you with a cleaning
chalice of this glorious, everla sting
! Gospel sunshine!
| First of all, 1 find a great deal O.
sunshine in Christian society. I d.
not know of anything more dolefu
than the companionship of the mer,
| funmakers of the world-the Thoma.
| a,.11 L
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 fine
that down in their soul there was 4;
terrific disquietude. Laughter is NJ
sign of happiness. The mania,
laughs. The hyena laughs. The loo1
among the Adirondacks laughs. TIL,
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 I quit mere worldly societ,
for the reason it was so dull, so imam
and so stupid. My nature is voraciou
of JOY. 1 must have it.
1 always walk on the sunny side o
| the street, and for that reason I hav
crossed over into Christian society.
| like their mode of repartee better.
| like their style of amusement better
They live longer. Christian people,
sometimes notice, live on when by al
natural law they ought to have died
] have known persons who have con
tinued in their existence when tn
doctor said they ought to have beer
dead ten years. Every day of thei
| existence was a defiance of the law
of anatomy and physiology, but the,
had this supernatural vivacity of tn
| Gospel in their soul, and that KEEP
them alive.
Put 10 or IL Christian people in
room for Christian conversation, an
you will from eight to ten o'clocl
hear more resounding glee, see NOR
bright strokes of wit and find NOR
thought and profound satisfactio,
than in any merely worldly party
Now, when 1 say worldly party"
mean that to which you are invite
because under all the circumstance
of the case it is the best for you t
be iayited, and to which you go be