The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1879-01-09
Rev. Mr.. Talmage Discourses
upon the Terrible Results of
Having Bad Companions.
The Devil Tempts Most Men, but
Idlers Tempt the Devil"
Sin IS Catching aud Ruin Certain.
Special Dispatch to the cOurier-JOurnal.
Nrw YneE Dec - 10.

Sin rs Catching aud Ruin Certain.
Special Dispatch to the Courier-Journal.
New YORK, Dee -, rs.
"ky sou. be 90 thy guard.
Ten lhOu-lrj ices Aflse,
was the opening hymn Ut Brook lvn
tabernacle to-uay, when Rev. Mr..
Talmage preached 10 The usual
great throng present on SUNDAYS.
The reading OF Tue ten command
ments was followed By the Ieguias
fexposItion of the Scrip. ures. APP
pended is the full text OF his ,er-
mon of to-day: a
TExT-A companion of fools shall be
destroyed Proverbs xli, 20.
On this night of city exploration,
/ found that hardly any young mau
came into places of SIN al, ne. Each
one was accompanied. No man
goes to ruin alone. He always takes
some one with him. MAY it please
the court" said 8 convicted crimi-
nal, when asked if he had any thing
to say before sentence Of death was
passed upon him, may it please tue
court, bad company has been nv
ruin. / received the blessings Of
good parents, and in returL prom
ised to avoid all evil associations
Had / kept my promise, l should
have been saved this shame, and
been free from the load of guilt that
hangs around me like vulture,
threatening to drag ne TO justice
for crimes yet Gnreveaied. /, who
once moved in the best circles of
society and have been the guest OF
distinguished public men, am lost
and MI through bad company"
This is but one OF the ten thou
sand proofs that the companion of
fools shall be destroyed. 1t is the
invariable rule. There is a well
man in the wards of the hospital.
where there are a hundred people
sick with ship fever. ami he will not
be so apt TO take the disease as a
good man would be apt TO be smit-
ten with moral distemper if shut up
with iniquitous companions.
ii In, ioldeni times prisoners were
herded together in the same cell,
but each one learned the vices OF
allfthe culprits, so that, instead of
being reformed By Incarceration,
the day of liberation Turned them
out upon society beasts, and mol
men.
We may, in our place OF business,
be compelled to talk 10 and mingie
with bad men; but he VINO deiiber
ately cl doses 10 associate himself
with vicious people is engaged in
carrying on a cUurtship with DE
lilah, whose shears will ciIp on all
the locks of his strength, aud he
win be tripped into perdttIon
Is. 81 SIN Is CArcHISG,
is infectious, is epidemic. | will
let you look over Tue millions Of
people now inhabiting tue earth.
and 1 challenge you 10 Show me
good man who, after one year, has
made choice, and consorLed with
the wicked. A ihousaud dollars
reward for one such instance, care
not how strong your character may
be. Associate with horse thieves,
you will become a horse thief.
Class with burglars, and you will
become. q burglar. Go among The
unclean, and you will become un
clean. Not appreciating the truth
OF my text, many young man has
been destroyed. He wakes up some
morning In a great CITY, and knows
no one except the persons INTO
whose employ he has entered. As
he goes into the store all the clerks
mark HIM, measure him and discuss
him. The upright young men of
the store wish him well. but per
haps wait for formal introduction,
and even then have some dellcacy
about inviting him into their asso-
Citations. But the bad young men
OF the store, at the first opportu
nifty, approach and offer their ser
vices. They patronage him. They
prDiess to know ali about the town.
they will take him anywhere that
he wishes To go, if he wall pay the
expenses. For if a good young
man aud bad young man go To
some place where they ought not,
the good young nan has invariably
to meet the charges At the mo-
ment the ticket is to be paid for the
bad young man feels around in his
pockets and says, II have forgotten
my pocket book" In forty eight
hours after the young man mas en-
tered the store, the bad fellows OF
the establishment slap him on the
shoulder Familiarity; and at his stu
pidity in taking in certain illusions
say: .My young friend, you will
have to be broken in and they i'm
mediately proceed to break hIm in. \
Young man, in the name of God, i /
warn you TO beware how you let a |
bad man talk Familiarity with you.
If such q one slap you on the shout
der Familiarity, turn round aud give
him whitening look until the,
wretch crouehes in your presence. |
There is no lmOnstrosity OF W cked-
ness that can stand nnabashed I'M
der the glance Of purity and honor. !
God keeps the lightuings of heaven
III his own scabbard, and no human /
can wiehl them; but God gave TO l
every young man a lightning that
lie may use, and that is the
LIGHTNING or AN HONEST EYE.
Those who have been close oh
servers of city life will not wonder
why give warning to young men
and say, beware Of bad company.
FIRST, | warn you to shun the
skeptic-the young man who puts
his fingers In his vest and laughs at
your old fashioned religion, and
turns over to some mystery IN the
Bible and says: Explain that, my
pious friend; explain thatl'' and
who says. Nobody shall scare me
| am not afraid of the future; | used I.
TO believe in such things, and SO did
my father and mother, but I have
got over it. Yes, he has got over
il, and if you sit in his company a
little longer you will get over il too.