Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1878-05-30
MisfelIaneous. g
The Sin Of Being Led Astray."
4 Sermon delivered IN the Unitarian Church
May 1871, 1875, by Rev W. h Lyon

Nay Asth, 1910, oy Rev. W II Lyo..
NOTE should IKE 10 say. by way Of cx-
plAnation. thAi Lothiug was farther from my
thoughts, when wrote this sermon. than see
ing IL In print, or indeed Of hay ing any unususl
notice taken Of It. L. thought, seemed To me
80 obvious A. to D. commOup p ace. and were not
prepared more carefully or announced more
prominently. than any Other sermon. But the
very surprising amount Of opposition " bitch II
has stirred NJ and tho misre presentations. 80
gross sometime. 10 b. grDtcsquc. which il
has received, have shown me how much even
these obvious truths ne, TO be proclaimed. |
have felt II Il duty. therefore to accept the Kind
otcr Of publication in the AMERICAN. Will
only Aid that though have sUmewhrt con-
drnsed the sermon to bring IL within more
reasonable .lic,, ! have omitted nothing
essential to the main thought and have not
changed that thought in the IeAst.-and that,
while the title and one or two minor point,
were suggested by the fayorte sermon OF Dr.
James alser, they were adopted only 20 give
force Ia hat main point which has been loug
fixed In nv own mind, and which events have
made me very gaI have at last plainly ut
TERED. ". ii. l..
Erery man is te'spfei. ,,Asn he IS dra,-R
array Cfhis o,eH last dsd eHticed.
James IA.
Without doubt the saddest thing IN this
world is diseased soul. Bodily sickness
or mercantile bankruptcy or any other
misfortune are not TO be compared with Il.
Yet how often it Is TO be met. We
need not 20 10 the prison and pententia:ies
to tind It, There are too many men and
women who wear 90 badge OF hauccuf or
chain. who yet carry within them ruined
Characters and look ahead only 10 pros
poets blighted with disgrace.
When We ask the reason Of these wrecks.
We are answered very of(en In a bitter tone
that they were lied sstrsy." They fell
tpf haA znnh
got hold OF them and enticed them 10 their
ruin. II 1t is a case OF gambling some
companion or some professional gambler
gently drew the young man aside and then
wrecked him. II Il Is case OF eXtrava-
gance and consequent fraud. he WAS over
Influenced by spendthrift comrades. Or If
il is a case OF confirmed drunkenness. he
was led into bad habits by gay company or
was tempted by the deliberate malice OF
the "rumseller' into the course which led
him into ruin.
Sometimes we hear this said as If il were
all that could be said,-as If the blame for
the wreck were TO be laid entirely on the
tempter lnd not at all on the tempted.
Sometimes it is said as II the ruined men or
women ought TO be regarded very much as
sheep who were caught in the open pasture
where they were innocently feeding, and
helplessly carried by some butcher to the
place where they where as helplessly
slaughtered.
OF course. there is some truth behind
such a habit OF thought as this. Let Us
find that before We try To tear away the
error.
la the first place. We all must acknowl
edge the tremendous power OF Unborn appe-
tite. We must confess that there Is, la
some persons. "A native inclination toward
the vice which finally ruins them, an incli-
nation which may be so played upon by
other men or by circumstances as to be-
come raging appetite. Its possible that
this appetite may become utterly uncon
trollable, and sweep its victim before il as
q freshet sweeps away a bridge. No one
can deny that such appettes are sometimes
inherited frcm the parents who voluntarily
created them. One who watches the
growth Of children can sometimes see
these terrible propeDsities unfolding like
the purple flowers Of the deadly nightshade
from under the green leaves OF their buds.
| have seen boys take naturally TO stealing.
have watched a child initiate its parent
in lying and deceit as closely as in features.
The Pomeroy boy seemed to be drawn TO
his bloody deeds by an inbOrn love for
them. l knew of a little girl of eight or
ten years Of age who had the drinking ap.
petite developed in her ia a moment like
a tigers thirst for blood. simply by tasting
the brandy inside French sweetmeat
The men of science who have been looking
into the causes of fintempersnce tell us that
there is a disease OF inetriety as distinct as
the disease of scrofula. aud almost as inde-
pendent of the will. So We must admit al
the outset, If We would be just. that there
are those who have almost, If not quite,un.
controlable appetites, and that when these |
are touched aud set in motion by a tempt !
er. the victim is scarcely, If at all, respon- |
sible for the ruin which follows upon him. !
In the second place, We must acknowl- |
edge that there are men and women In the |
world who deliberately ruin those whom |
they hate or whom they wish to use for |
their own Purposes. They care nothing |
for their victim. If only their own plans |
succeed. They have no pity for his weak |
ness, but rather seek IL out as the point Of |
their attack. 1t is just to caD them nends |
in human shape. What can De conceived |
worse than the man who tries to ruin a |
soul aud 10 spread distress and disgrace |
among those on whom the rains fall Can |
human nature descend to a lower depth |
than that Of the rumselier who either en-
tees boy or mao 70 his bar aud develops In I
him the taste which will wreck him. or |
who ever sells one drop to the miserable