Smyrna times., 1878-10-23
Night Side Of City Life.
THE FIRST OF SERIES OE SERMONS BY THE REV
T. DEWITT TALMAGE, D. D., DELIVERED
IN THE BROOKLYN TABERNACLE,
SUNDAY MORNING, OCT. 13.

4" Ezekiel viii, s.: 'Then said he unto ME,
son of man, dig now in the wall and when
| had digged in the wall, behold door.
And he said, Go in, and behold the wicked
denominations that they do here. So l went
in and saw; and behold every form of
creeping things, and abominable beasts
So this minister, Ezekiel, is commanded to
explore the sin of his day. Instead of
standing outside guessing what it is, this
servant of the Lord is ordered to see for
himself. When God said 60 I'M he went
in and saw and reported. l, as religious
teacher, felt | had a divine commission to
go and explore the iniquities of city life.
| did not ask my session, or my presbytery,
or the newspapers whether | had better 60.
Taking with me three high city officials and
two elders of my church, l read my COM
mission Son of man, dig now in the wall;
and when had digged in the wall, behold
door. And he said, go in, and behold the
wicked denominations that they do here.
So | went in and saw Brought up in the
country and by parental care watched, /
never saw the hiding places of iniquity
until this autumn. By the grace of God
sheltered l never sowed any wild oats.
preached against sin from what the books
told me on this subject, but | said, There
must be something in these temptations
| the books have not told me- went as the
| physician goes into the smallpox hospital
| or into the fever lazaretto-for what useful
information he can get. 1t is folly to try
| to cure patient without seeing him, if you
can gain access. What would you think of
a doctor who should stand outside the
closed door of an invalid, writing a Latin
prescription? When in the medical col
| lege the lecturer treats of disease, he next
| takes his class into the dissecting-room,
and shows them the reality. l am here to-
day to report a plague. But you say,
will not your going on exploration lead
others to goP | may answer, If you will
guard youself by an Inspector of Police,
and Commission of Police, and a Captain
of Police, and two Christian gentlemen
and you go to see sin that you may better
combat it, in Gods name go. When Wei
lington was in the thickest of the fight o.
Waterloo, bullets buzzing round his heaC
like hornets, q civilian was found on the
field. Wellington said Sir, what are yor
doing here9 WELL said the civilian, lit il
no more dangerous for me to be here thar
for you.' Wellington flushed up and said
God and my country demand that l b.
here, but you have no business here. b
off, My friends, l am an officer in God
army; was on my Masters business.
you are not on such an errand you have n
right to 60 there. am aware that my ez
pioration has been condemned by some c
the newspapers, and you wonder how fee
about it. tell you no living man owes 0
much to the newspapers as lido. My wor
is to preach the truth, and the wide
audience get through the press, the wide
If my field AS the secular and religion
- newspapers of the United States and tn
4 Canadas, and England, Ireland and SEQ
|. land, and Australia and New Zealand hay
y given me nigh 100000 readers evel
week, am obliged to the newspaper pres
o. After all they may at times say, am ST.
r. under obligations to them. So slash ava
gentlemen; the more the merrier. Bri'
criticism is the crash Turkish towel Wi
IN IN which every public man needs to be rubbt
en- down in order to keep healthful circul
ton. Give my love to al! the editors al
: critics, with full permission to run the
- steel pens clear through my sermon fro
introduction to application. 1t was
o'clock of night, calm, clear, star-lighte
that our carriage rolled away from the me
IN beautiful part of beautiful city down in
put the places where gambling and crime a
nd death hold dreadful sway. When l 8
at houses of dissipation refer not to one 8
'ite but to all sins. When the horses halt