Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-04-19
THE JOY OF RELIGION
DR.. Talmage Urges All to Try Its
Uplifting Power.
He Characterizes Religion ms Gods
Daughter Sermon from the
4. Text, "Her Ways Are Ways
of Pleasantness."


of PIeasantness.''
copyright. 1901. by Louis Klopsch. N. ~
Washington. April IA.
In this discourse DIR. Talmage sets
forth religion as an exhilaration, and
urges all people to try it's 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 queenly
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
q different effect upon me from the
effect sometimes produced. Every
year I tear out another leaf from
my theology, until I 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 I was young man, I knew
everything. When 1 got to be IS
years of age, in my creed had only a
hundred doctrines of religion. When
1 got to be 60 years of age, 1 had
only SO doctrines of religion. When
I got to be 60 years of age I had
only ten doctrines of religion, and
now 1 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 me to
drop this part of my belief and that
part of my belief as being nonessen-
tial, while cling to the one greatdoc-
trine that man is a sinner and Christ
is his Almighty and Divine Saviour.
Now I 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
tiers. That is what want to do this
morning. We are apt to throw SO
much of the sepulchral into our re-
igion 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 INDISPENSABLE and unutterable.
Wherever I 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. 1 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
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!
Flrst of all, 1 find great deal OF
sunshine in Christian society. I dc
not know of anything more dolefu
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 te
make sport. They make others laugh
but II you will examine their auto
biography or biography you will fine
that down in their soul there was q
terrific disquietude. Laughter is nc
sign of happiness. The maniac
laughs. The hyena laughs. The looT
among the Adirondacks laughs. The
drunkard. dashing his decante1
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 exchange
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. / must have it.
1 always walk on the sunny side O.
the street, and for that reason 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
l have known persons who have con
tinued in their existence when tn,
doctor said. they ought to have bee,
dead ten years. Every day of thei
existence was defiance of the law
of anatomy and physiology, but the,