The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1901-04-20
THE JOY OF RELIGION
DR.. Talmage Urges All to Try Its
Uplifting Power.
He Characterise. Religion as Gods
Daughter - sermon fre@ the
Text. "Iier Way. Arc Ways
of PIeasantness."
tccpyright. 1901. by Louis Klopseh, y, "
Washington. April Il.

In this discourse DIR. Talmage set
forth religion rs an exhilaration, ant
urges all people to try its upliftins
power; text, Proverbs 3, II: he
ways are ways of pleasantness.'
loa have all heard of Gods onl,
begot;cn Son. Have you heard o
God's daughter? She was born IL
Heaven She came down over the
hills of our world. She had qucenly
step. On her brow was celestia
radiance. Her voice was music. Hei
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 | 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, | knew
everything. When | got to be 80
years of age, in my creed had only a
hundred doctrines of religion. When
l got to be GO years of age, had
only so doctrines of religion. When
i got to be 60 years of age l had
only ten doctrines of religion, and
now | am dying at rs 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 il 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 great doe
trine that man is 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 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-
ligion and to close the shutters and
to pull down the blinds that ii is only
through here and there crevice that
the light streams. The religion of
the Lord Jesus Christ is religion Of
joy Understandable and unutterable
Wherever l can find n bell mean tc
ring it.
If there are any in this house thi.
morning who are disposed to hold OF
to their melancholy and gloom, le
them depart this service before tn,
fairest and the brightest and the mos
radiant being of all the universe come,
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 il
and make this house thy throneroom
In setting forth this idea the domi
nant theory of religion is one of sun
shine. ! hardly know where to begin
for there are so many thoughts tina
rush upon my soul. A mother saw hel
little child seated on the floor in tn,
sunshine and with spoon i'm her hand
She said: my darling, what are yol
doing there?' "Oh," replied the child
II am getting n spoonful of this sun
shine" Would God that to-day
might present you with n gleamin,
ihalicc Of this glorious, everlastin,
Gospel sunshine!
First Of all, / find great deal O
sunshine in Christian society. | d
Of r.
than the companionship of the mer
funmakers Of the world--the Thoma
Hoods, the Charles Lambs, tn
Charles Mathewses of the world-th
men whose entire business il is {
make sport. They make others laugh
but IL you will examine their auto
biography or biography you will fin
that down in their soul there was
terrific disquietude. Laughter is n
sign OF happiness. The mania
laughs. The hyena laughs. The loo
among the Adirondacks laughs. TIL
drrnkard, dashing his decante
against the wall, laughs.
There is terrible reaction from n
sinful amusement and sinful merr
ment. Such men are cross the neg
day. They snap at you on exchang
or they pass you, not recognizing yo-
Long ago / quit mere worldly societ
for the reason IL was so dull, so inan
and so stupid. My nature is voraciou
OF joy. ] must have it.
] always walk on the sunny side {
the street, and for that reason hav
crossed over into Christian society.
like their mode of repartee better.
like their style of amusement bette
They live longer. Christian people,
sometimes notice, live on when by n
natural law they ought to have die,
] have known persons who have col
tinued in their existence when til
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
had this supernatural vivacity of til
Z Gospel in their soul, and that keT
them alive.
Put 10 or ~ Christian people in
room for Christian conversation, an
you will from eight to ten o'cloc
hear more resounding glee, see NOR
bright strokes of wit and find NOR
fhouUht and nrofound sntisfacfio