The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-10-11
A Short Sermon for Young Men.
JONAH 1-6.

~ q
There is young man who, during
the past year, has spent q large part of
his salary in carousal. What has he
gained by it? A soiled reputation n
half-starved purse, dissipated look, a
petulant temper, disturbed con-
science. The manacles of one or two
habits that are pressing tighter and
tighter will keep on until they wear to
the bone. You paid your fare to Tar
shish, but you have been set down in
the midst of a sea ola disquietude and
perplexity.
One hundred dollars for Sunday
hOrse-hire!
one hundred dollars for wine suppers!
One hundred dollars for cigars!
One hundred dollars for frolics that
shall be nameless!
Here is literary man, tired of the
faith of his father, who resolves to
launch out into what is called Free
thinking. He buys Theodore Parker's
works for twelve dollars; Remains
Life of Christ for one dollar and fifty
cents; Andrew jackson Davis's works
for twenty dollars. Goes to hear inf
dels talk at the clubs, and to see spirit
ualism at the table-rapping. Talks
glibly of David, the Psalmist, as an
old libertine; of Paul as q wild enthu-
siast; and of Christ as decent kind
of a mana little weak in some re-
spects-but almost as good as himself
Talks smilingly of Sunday as a good
day to put a little extra backing on
ones boots: and of Christians as, for
the most part, hypoerits; and of eter-
nifty as "the great to he" the 'everlast-
ing now" or "the infinite what is it"
Some day he gets his feet very wet,
and finds himself that night chilly.
The next morning has a hot mouth,
and is he adachy,i Serbs word over to
the store that he will not be there to-
day. Battles his feet; has mustard
plasters; calls the doctor. The medi-
cal man says aside: "This is going to
be bad case of congestion of the
lungs" Voice fails. Children must
be kept downstairs, or sent to the
neighbors, to keep the house quiet
You say: "Send for minister" You
say: "Read the Bible to him. No; he
does not believe in the Bible. A law.
yer comes in, and, sitting by his bed
side, writes a document that begins: :
I'm the name of God, Amen. 1,
being of sound mind, do make this
nay last aOiU and testament" 1t is GER
tain where the sick mans body will
be in less than q week. 1t is quite
certain who will get his property. But
what will become of his soul? 1t will
go into "the great to be-" or "the ever
lasting now" or "the infinite what is
it." His soul is in deep waters, and
the wind is following great guns"
Death cries: "Overboard with the I'M
believerw A splash? He goes to the
bottom. He paid five dollars for his
ticket to Tarshish when he bought the
infidel books. -
He has gone forever. And while
the canvass cracked, and the yards
ratified, and the ropes thumped, the
sea took up the funeral dirge, playing,
with open diapason of midnight storm.
because have called, and We refused;
l have stretched out my hand, and no
man regarded; but We have set at
nought all my counsel, and would
none of my reproOf; also laugh at
your calamity; 1 will mock when your
fear cometh."
Every farthing you spend in sin
Satan will swindle you out Of He
promised you shall have thirty per
cent. or a great dividend. He lies. He
will sink all the capital. You may
pay full fare to some sinful success, but
you will never get to Tarshish. -.
So men sleep sOundly now amid
perils infinite. In almost every place,
1 suppose, the Mediterranean might be
sounded, but no line is long enough to
fathOm the profound beneath every
impenitent man. Piunging thousand
fathoms down, you cannot touch bot
tom. Eternity beneath him, before
him, around him,