The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-04-19
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE eY the NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject; Religion ss an Exhiiaration -
Christianity is Uplifting and DisPeis
MelsnehoIia aud Gloom-Fate of Young
Men Who Go In For Sinful Amusements
lcoypright isILl

hilaratlOn, and urges all people 20 try It's
uplifting power; text, Proverbs m, IL,
Her ways are WAYS OF pleasaniness.
You have all heard OF Gods only begot-
ten Son. Have YOU heard OF Gods daugh-
ter! She was born an 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 effect
sometimes produced. Every year | tear
out another leaf from my theology until
have only three or four leaves lett-n
other words, very brief and plain state
ment of Christian belief.
An aged Christian minister said: When
| was a young man, | knew everything;
when | got 10 be thrty-hve years of age,
in my creed | had only hundred doc
trines of religion; when | got 10 be forty
years of age / had only fifty doctrines OF
religion; when J got to be sixty years OF
age | bad only ten doctrines OF religion.
and now | am dying at seyenty-tye years
of age, and there is only thing | know,
and that Is that Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners. And SO have
noticed in the study of Gods word, and IN
my contemplation of the character OF God
sary for me 20 drop this part of my belief
and that part of my belief as being non
essential, while | cling to the one great
doctrine that man Is a 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 go
into a room | have A passion for throwing
open all the shutters. That Is what |
want TO do this morning. We are apt 70
throw so much of the sepulchral into our
religion and TO close the shutters and TO
pull down the blinds that is Is only
through here and there a crevice that the
light streams. The religion OF the Lord
Jesus Christ is a religion of JOY indescnb-
able and unutterable. Wherever | can
find a bell | mean to ring It.
Ii there are any IN this house this morn
ing who are disposed to hold on to their
melancholy and gloom, let them now de,
part this service before the taIrest and
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, daughter of the Lord God Almighty!
Come in and make this house thy throne
room
In setting forth this idea the dominant
theory of religion Is one of sunshine, |
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 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 to-day 1
might present you with cleaning cha,
lice of this glorious, everlasting gospel
sunshine
First of all, | find a great deal Of sun
shine 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 IL
is TO make sport.
They make Others laugh, but II you
will examine their autobiography or bl-
ography you will find that down IN their
soul there was terrific disquletude.
Laughter is no sign OF happiness. Inc
maniac laughs. The hycna laughs ne
loon among the AdirOndaCks laughs. The
drunkard, dashing his dccanter against
the wall laughs.
There is a terrible reaction from all
sinful amusement and sinful merrlment.
Such men are cross the next day. lney
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 | must have
it.
always walk on the sunny side of the
street and for that reason | have crossed
over into Christian society. | like their
mode of repartee better | like their
style of amusement better. They live
longer. Christian people, | sometimes no
tice. live on when by all natural law they
-, ItnI | hatp EnnNVn
sons who have continued IN their eX-
istence when the doctor said they ought
TO have been dead ten years. Every day
of their existence was a defiance OF the
laws Of anatomy and physiology, but they
had -cils supernatural vlvacity OF the gOs-
pei in their soul. ard that kept them alive.
Put ten or twelve Christian people IN
a room for Christian corver.ation. ard
you will from eight 20 ten o'clock hear
more resoundng glee, see more bright
strokes of wit and find more thought and
profound satisfaction than IN any merely
worldly party Now. when ! say a worldly
party" | mean tuat to which YOU are in
vited because under all the clrcum-
stances of the case IL u better that you
go, and, leaving the shawis on the second
floor, You 90 TO the parlor 20 give formal
salutation TO the host and the hostess
and then move around. spending the
whole evening in the discussion OF the
weather and IN apology for treadlng on
long trains and in effort to keep the
corners of the mouth up 70 the sign OF
pleasure and going around with an ldlotlc
he-he about nothing until the collation. Is
served and then. after the collation. Is
served going back again into the parlor
TO resume the weather and then at the
close going at a very late hour TO the host
and hostess and assuring them that you
have had a most delightful evening and
then passing down of the front steps, the
slam OF the door the only satisfaction OF
the evening.
O young man come from the country 20
spend your days IN city life, where are
you going to spend your evenings Let
me tell you, while there are many places
OF innocent worldly amusement, II Is most
wise for you 90 throw your body mind
and soul into Christian society. Come 20
me at the close OF five years and tell me
what has been the result OF this advice.
Bring with you the young man who re-
fused TO take the advice, and who went
into sinful amusement. lie will come dis
sipated, shabby IN apparel, lndsposed 20
look any one IN the eyes, moral character
eighty-hve per cent. off. You viii come
with principle settled. cOuntenance frank.
habits good, soul saved, and all the IN
habitants OF heaven, from the lowest
angel up TO the archangel and clear past
him 10 the Lord God Almighty, your CO
adwtors.
This u not the advice Of misanthrope
There - no man in the house TO whom
the world - brighter than It - 20 me. IL
- not the advice ot a dyspeptic-my d.
gestiOn Is perfect, u - not the advice Of
man who cannot understand a Joke OF
who prefers funeral " Is not the advice
OF a wOrn-Out man. but the advice OF
man who can see this world in all Us
brightness, aud considering myself com.
pctent In Judging what - good cheer
tell the mutitudes Of Young men that
there D. nothing in worldly associations
80 grand and 40 beautiful and 80 exhiiar-
ant as IN Christian society.