Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-04-17


forth religion as an rxhilaration and
g urges ali people 10 trF it's uplifting
power; text. Proverbs ill.,, II. Her ways
are ways OF pleasantness.
You have all heard OF Gods only be-
gotten 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 mu-
sic. Her name is Religion. My text in
Produces her. Her ways are ways of
rleasantness, and all her paths are
peace" But what is religion? The fact
is that theological study has had diff
ferent effect upon me from the effect
sometimes produced. Every year ] tear
out another leaf from my theology until
] have, only three or four leaves left--in
other words, Il very brief and plain state
ment Of Christian belief
An aged Christian minister sid:
when / was young man, | knew ey-
erything. When l got to be 30 years of
age, in my creed ! hats only hundred
doctrines of religion. When | got to be
40 years of age, | had only 30 doctrines
of religion. When | got TO be GO years
of age, had only ten doctrines of relig-
ion, and now | am dying at as years of
age, and there is only one thing / know,
and that is that Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners" And so l
have 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 tkat 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
Savior.
MOI, take these three or four leaves
of my theology, aud l find that in the
first place and dominant above all 9TH
ers is the sunshine of religion When |
go into a room, | have passion for
throwing open all the shutters. That is
what | want to do this morning. We
are apt to throw so much of the sepul-
chral into our religion and TO close TIE
shutters and to pull down the blinds that
it is only through here and there Il GREY
ice that the light streams The religion
of the Lord Jesus Christ is a +, ION of
JOY indescribable and unutterable. Nher-
ever can find a bell mean to ring it.
II there are any in this house this
morning who are disposed to hold Gu to
their melancholy and gloom, let them now
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. bat 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, for there are
so many thoughts that rush upon my
soul. q mother saw her little child seat
ed on the floor in the sunshine and with a
spoon in her hand. She said, My dar
ling, what are you doing there?' "Oh,'
replied the child. II am getting spoon
full of this sunshine" Would God that
to-day l might present you with gleam-
ing chalice of this glorious, everlasting
gospel sunshine!
Sunshine of Christianity.
First of all, | find great deal Of sun
shine in Christian society. | do not know
of anything more doleful than the com
panionship 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 il You will examine their au.
photography or biography you viii find
that down in their soul there was ter.
rife disquietude. Laughter is no sign OF
happiness. The maniac laughs. The by
ena laughs The loon among the Adiron,
dacks laughs. The drunkard, dashing his
decanter against the wall, laughs.
There is terrible reaction from al
sinful amusement and sinful merriment
Such men are cross the next day They
snap at you on exchange or they pas.
You, not recognizing you. Long ago
quit mere worldly society for the reasol
it was so dull so insane and so stupid
My nature is voracious of joy. | mus
have it.
| always walk on the sunny side of tn!
street, and for that reason have crossed
over into Christian society. | like theil
mode of repartee better / like theil
style of amusement better. They live
longer. Christian people, l sometimes
notice, live on when by all natural Ian
they ought to have died. | have knowl
persons who have continued in their Ell
istence when the doctor said they ought
TO have been dead ten years. Every day
of their existence was defiance of the
laws Of anatomy and physiology, but
they had this supernatural yivacity al
the gospel in their soul, and that kept
them alive.
Put ten or twelve Christian people in q
room for Christian conversation, and yoG
will from 8 to 10. o'clock hear more re
sounding 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 par
ty'' l mean that to which you are invit
ed because under all the circumstance
NJ the case il is the best for you to be in
vited. and to which you go because under
all circumstances of the case it is better
that you go, and, leaving the shawls OF
the second floor you go 10 the parlor I,
give formal salutation TO the host and tn,
hostess and then move around, spendins
the whole evening in the discussion Of the
weather and in apology for treading on
long trains and in effort to keep the cor
ners of the mouth up 70 the sign Of pleas
ure. and Coins around with an idiotit
he-he about nothing until the collation. il
served. and then, after The collation. 4
served. going back again into the parlo
to resume. the weather. and then at tn
close going ut Il very late hour to thi
most and hostess and assuring them tina
you have had a most delightful evening
and then passing down off the from
steps, the slam Of the door the only sat
isfaction Of The evening
Oh, Young man come from the eoun
try to spend your days III city life, wher,
I ava ~ ~