The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-04-24
THE JOY OF RELIGION
Dr.. Ta1nage Urges All to Try Its
Uplifting Power.
He CharacteriZes Religion as God'o
Daughter - Sermon from the
Text, Ger Ways Are Ways
Of PIeasantneg1."
copyright, 1901, by Louis Klopsch, N. u
Nashington, April 4.

copyright, 1901, by Louis Klopsch, N. u
Washington. April "A.
In this discourse DR.. Talmage sets
forth religion as an exhilaration, and
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 ber brow was celestial
radiance. Her voice was music. Her
nac1o 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 I tear out another leaf from
my theology, 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 was young man, I knew
everything. When I got to be IS
years Of age, in my creed I had only q
hundred doctrines of religion. When
7 got to be so years Of age had
only so doctrines of religion. When
I got to be 60 years of age had
only ten doctrines of religion, and
now 7 am dying at IS years of age
and there is only one thing I 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 tho eternal
world that it is necessary for ne to
drop this part Of my belief and that
part of my belief as being nonessen-
tial, while I cling to the one great doc
trine that man is q sinner and Christ
is his Almighty and Divine Saviour.
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 I go into room, have pas
sion for throwing open all the shut
ters. That is what want to do this
morning. We are apt to throw so
much Of the sepulchral into our re-
| igiou 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 indescribable and unutterable.
Wherever 7 can find 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, 6augh-
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. I 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, what are you
doing there?" "Oh," replied the child,
II am getting a spoonful of this sun
shine" Would God that to-day
might present you with a cleaning
chalice Of this glorious, everlasting
Gospel sunshine!
First of all, find great deal Of
sunshine in Christian society. I do
not know Of anything more doleful
than the companionship of the mere
funmakers Of the world-the Thomas
HOODS, the Charles Lambs f.
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 auto
biography or biography you will find
that down in their soul there was q
terrific disquietude. Laughter is no
sign of happiness. The maniac
laughs. The hyena laughs. The loon
among the Adirondacks laughs. The
drunkard, dashing his decanter
against the wall, laughs.
There is terrible reaction from ali
sinful amusement and sinful merri-
nent. 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. Ny nature is voracious
Of joy. must have it.
always walk on the sunny side Of
the street, and Tor that reason I have
crossed over into Christian society.
like their mode Of repartee better.
like their style Of amusement better.
They live longer. Christian people, l
sometimes notice, live on when by all
| natural law they ought to have died.
! have known persons who have con-
tinued il their existence when the
docto said they ought to have been
dead ten years. Every day o., their
existence was defiance of the laws
Of anatomy and physiology, but they
had this supernatural vivacity of the
Gospel in their soul, and that kept
| them alive.
Put 10 or 12 Christian people in a
| room for Christian conversation, and
you will from eight to ten o'clock
Aear more resounding glee, see more
bright strokes of wit and ind more
thought and profound satisfaction
than in any merely worldly party.
Now, when say worldly party I
mean that to which you are invited
because under all the circumstances
of the case it is the best for you to
be invited, and to which you go be-
in which, by the light Of reason and
oooeo;or,o r,,, r,irbf rvon low Gou0