Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1902-02-27
IMMEDIATE DUTIES.

lNlMEDIAlE DUIHS.1
DR.. TALMAGE'S SUNDAY SERMON,
Put Your Religion Into Practice All
The Time-Be Grateful For God 81
Constant Blessings.
WASHINGTON, D. Gin this discourse
DIR. Talmage advises us to do our best in
the spheres where we are placed and not
wait to serve God in resounding position;
text, + Corinthians X, 81, Whether, there
fore, ye eat or drink or whatsoever We do,
do all to the glory of, God"
When the apostle IN this text sets forth
the idea that SO common an action as the
taking of food and drink is to be conduct
ed to the glory of God, he proclaims the
Importance of religion in the ordinary af-
fairs of our life. In all ages of the world
there has been tendency to set apart GER
tain days, places and occasions for wor-
ship, and to think those were the chief
realms in which religion was to act. Now,
holy days and holy places have their i'm
portance. They give opportunity for spe-
cial performance of Christian duty and for
regaling of the religious appetite, but they
cannot take the place of continuous exer-
else of faith and prayer. In other words,
| man cannot be SO much of Christian on
Sunday that he can afford to be world
ling all the rest of the week. If steamer
| put out for Southampton and 60 one day
! in that direction and the other six days in
other directions, how long before the steam
er will get to Southampton? It will never
| get there. And, though a man may seem
to be voyaging heavenward during the holy
| Sabbath day, if during the following six
l RI nf fhn NJ ho 41,n
world and toward the flesh and toward the
| devil how long will it take him to reach
| the peaceful harbor of heaven. You can
not eat SO much at the Sabbath banquet
| that you can afford religious abstinence
the other six days. Heroism and princely
| behavior on great occasions are no apology
for lack of right demeanor in circumstances
| uine Christian life is not spasmodic; does
not go by fits and starts. It tolls on
through heat and cold, up steep mount
aims and along dangerous declivities, it's
eye on the everlasting hills crowned with
the castles of the blessed. I propose to
plead for an everyday religion.
In the first place we want to 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 whole city
then people begin to talk about the uncer
tainty Of life, and they imagine that they
are engaged in positively religious CONVEX
sation. No. You may talk about these
things and have no grace of God at all il
your heart. We ought every day to be
talking religion. IF there is anything glae
about it, anything beautiful about it, any
thing important about it, we ought to bt
continuously discussing.
have noticed that men just in proper
ton as their Christian experience is shal
low talk about funerals and graveyards ant
tombstones and deathbeds- The real, gen
uine Christian man talks chiefly about thi
life and the great eternity beyond and no
tween these two residences.
And yet how few circles there are wher'
the religion of Jesus Christ is welcome
Go into circle even of Christian people
where they are full of JOY and hilarity, ant
talk about Christ or heaven and everything
is Immediately silenced. As on a summe
day when the forests are full Of life, chat
bird harmony, every tree branch an orches
tra-if a hawk appear in the sky, ever.
voice stops and the forests are still,
Just SO I have seen a lively religious cir
Gle silenced on the appearance of anythln!
like religious conversation. No one hat
any thing to say save perhaps some old pa
triarch in the corner of the room, VIII
|
said under the circumstances; so he put
one foot over the other and heaves lon
sigh and says, "Oh, yes; that's SO, that
go"
My friends, the religion Of Jesus Chris
is something to talk about with giat
heart. It is brighter than the sunshine
Do not go around groaning about your re
ligion when you ought to be singing it O
talking it in cheerful tones of voice. Hoy
often it is that we find men whose live
are utterly inconsistent who attempt t.
talk religion and always make failure o
it, My friends, we must live religion o
, we cannot talk it. If a man is cranky an
cross and uncongenial and hard IN his dea
ings and then begins to talk about Chris
, Yet ] have heard such men say IN whlnln
tones, eve are miserable sinners" 9Th
Lord bless you,' ''The Lord have mercy O
: you," their conversation interlarded wit
such expressions which mean nothing bu
= canting, and canting is the worst form Q
hypocrisy. IF we have really felt the re
ligion of Christ in our hearts, let us tai
it. and talk it with an illuminated counte
, | nance, remembering that when two Chris
tian people talk God gives special atten
ton and writes down what they say: Ma
!. :! lachi iii, l6, "Then they that feared tn
! Lord spoke often one to another, and tn
Lord hearkened and heard it; and boo
OF remembrance was WTlCCen.
: Again, remark, we must bring the rel
gion of Christ into our employments. "Oh,
you say, @'that is very well if man handl
large sums of money or If he have an e.
) tensive traffic, but in the humble work j
i life that ] am called to the sphere is to
; small for the action of such grand, HEAVIER
5 ly principles" Who told you SO! Do 20
! not know that God watches the faded lea
! on the brooks surface as certainly as n
: does the path Of blazing sun? And tn
| moss that creeps up the side OF the roc
makes as much impression upon God
: mind as the waving tops of Oregon pin
and Lebanon cedar, and the alder, cract
ling under the cows hoof, sounds as lou
! in Gods ear as the snap Of worlds COZ
}. fagration. When you have anything to q
. in life, however humble it may seem to b'
: God is always there to help you to do 1t.
> Il your work is that OF a fisherman, the
God will help you, as He helped Simo
j when He dragged Gennesaret. Il yo1
: work IS drawing water then He will hei
you, as when He talked at the well cur
/. to the Samaritan woman. Ii you are el
t gagged in the custom house, He Will lea
J, YOU as He led Matthew sitting at the r.
ceipt Of customs.
e A religion that is not good in one plae
r IS not worth anything in another plac
The man who has only days wages IN
pocket as certainly needs the guidance.
h. ,ho ha