The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-02-21
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
subject; The Work Nearest at Hsnd-Put
Your Religion Into Practicable Crate
fuI For Gods Common BiessinEs-
Revenue OF Spiritual strength.

the Hpncfc, MAtte We are plaltl duN Aol
wait 70 serve God in resOunding position
text / Corinthians *, 81, Whether, there
fore, ye eat OF drink or whatsoever ye do
do all % the glory Of God
When the apostle IN this text sets forth
the idea that 70 common an action as the
taking OF food and drink - 10 be conduct
ed 20 the glory Of God. he proc.aims the
Importance Of religion IN the ordinary al.
fairs OF our life. Ia all ages oil the world
there has been a tendency 20 set apart GER
tain days, places and occasions Tor wOr-
ship, and % think those were the chief
realms in which religion was 10 act. Now,
holy days and holy places have their I'M
pOrtance. They give opportunity for spe'
Clal performance OF Christian duty and Tor
regalng OF the religious appetite, but they
cannot take the place Of continuous eXer-
cise Of faith and prayer. In other words,
man cannot be 50 much or a Christian on
Sunday that he can afford 10 be a world
ling all the rest OF the week. II steamer
put out for southampton and 90 one day
in that direction and the other six days IN
other directions how long before the steam
er viii get 20 southampton; 1t viii never
get there. And, though man may seem
20 be voyaglng heavenward during the holy
Sabbath day, If during the following six
days OF the week he y going toward the
world and toward the flesh and toward the
devil how long Will 1t take him % reach
the peaceful haTbor OF heaven. You can
not eat SO much az the Sabbath banquet
that you can afford religious abstinence
the other six days. Hcroism and princcly
behavior on great occasions are no apology
for lack of right demeanor in circumstances
insignificant and incoEspicuous. The gen.
uine Christian life is not spasmodic: does
not 20 by fits and starts. Ii tolls on
through heat and cold, up steep mount
aims and along daiger6ls dcclivlties, its
eye on the everlasting hills crowned with
the castles of the blessed. l propose 10
plead for an everyday religion. -
IN the first place we want 10 bring the
religion OF Christ into our conversation.
When a dam breaks and two or three vii
lagos are overwhelmed or an earthquake
in South America swallows a whole city,
then people begin TO talk about the urcer-
tainty of life, and they imagine that they
are engaged in positively religious conver-
sation. No. You may talk about these
things and have no grace OF God at all IN
your heart We ought every day to be
talking religion. Ii there Is anything glad
about il, anything beautiful about It, any
thing important about II, we ought to be
continuously discussing.
/ have noticed that men just in proper
tion as their Christian experience l. sEal-
low talk about funerals and graveyards and
uine Christian man talks chiefly about this
life and the great eternity beyond and not
so much about the insignificant pass be-
tween these two residences.
And yet how few circles there are where
The religion OF Jesus Christ is welcome.
Go into a circle even of Christian people,
where they are full of JOY and hllarlty, and
talk about Christ or heaven and everything
is Immediately slenced. As on a summer
do ,,.h,,, ha f,v,.t, f,,l nf lifp hot
ter, chirrup and Garcia mighty chorus of
bird harmony, every tree branch an orches-
tra-if a hawk appear in the sky, every
voice stops and the forests are still
just so ! have seen lively religious cir
Gle silenced on the appearance OF anything
like religious conversation. No one had
anything to say save perhaps some Old pa
trarch in the corner of the room, who
really thinks that something ought TO be
said under the circumstances; so he puts
one foot over the other and heaves a long
:Sia :lSH and says on' yes 'p'' So 'na' :
NY friends. the religion of Jesus Christ
Is something TO talk about with a glad
heart. 1t Is brighter than the sunshine.
Do not go around groanlng about your re-
hgon when YOU ought to be singing 1t or
talking il in cheerful tones of voice. How
often it is that we find men whose lives
are utterly inconsistent who attempt to
talk religion aud always make a failure or
it! Ny friends, we must live religion or
we cannot talk it. ii man is cranky and
cross and uncongenial and hard in his deal
ings and then begins to talk about Christ
and heaven. everybody Is repelled by 1t.
Yet | have heard such men say in whining
tones. I'VE are miserable sinners The
Lord bless you. The Lord have mercy on
you" their conversation interiarded with
such expressions which mean nothing but
canting. and canting Is the worst form OF
hypocrisy Ii we have really felt the re-
lgioh of Christ IN our hearts, let us talk
il. and talk it with an illuminated counte-
nance, remembering that when two Chris
tian people talk God gives special atten-
tion and writes down what they say: Ma
lach III. l6, Then they that feared the
Lord spoke often one to another, and the
Lord hearkeued and heard 1t. and book
OF remembrance was written
Again, | remark we must bring the re,i.
Sion of Christ into our employments. oh,
you say, that is very well II man handle
large sums Of money or If he have an eN'
tensive traffic, but in the humble work IN
life that | am called to the sphere Is too
small for the action of such grand, heaven
ly principles" Who told YOU so, Do you
not know that God watches the faded leaf
on the brooks surface as certainly as lie
does the path of a blazing SUM- And the
moss that creeps up the side OF the rock
makes as much impression upon God 5
mind as the waving tops OF Oregon pine
and Lebanon cedar, and the alder, crack.
ling under the cows hoof, sounds a. loud
in Gods ear as the snap OF worlds con-
Hagration When YOU have anything to do
in life. however humble Il may seem TO be,
God is always there to help YOU TO do It.
III your work Is that of fisherman, then
God will help you, "a He helped Simon
when He dragged Gennesaret. 1T your
work Is drawing water then He will help
you. as when He talked at the well curb
TO the Samaritan woman. IL you are en-.
gagged in the custom house, He will lead
you as He led Matthew sitting at the re-
eeipt Of customs.
A religion that is not good IN ono place
Is not worth anything in another place.
The man who has only a dav's wages IN his
pocket as certainly needs the guidance OF
religion as he who r1ttlcs the keys OF 2
bank and could abscond with a hundred
thousand dollars
There arc those prominent in the
churches who seem to be on public occa-
sions very dcvout who do not put the
principles of Christ's religion into practice
They are the most inexorable of creditors
They are the most grlsping OF dealers
They are known as sharpers on the street
They fleece every sheep they can catch. y
country merchant comes IN % buy spring
or fall goods. and he gets into the store OF
one of these professed Christian men who
have really no grace in their hearts. and be
is completely swindled. He Is so overcome
that he cannot get out OF town during the
week. He stays in town over sunday. goes
into some church 20 get Christian consoa
ton. when what is his amaEement % tnd
that the very man who hands him the poor
box in the church IL the one who relieved
him OF his money, Bu. never mind; u,