Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1881-12-10
A VISION OF FOUR FIENDS.
They Pay n Visit to Earth and Con
vert the Vineyard, the Grain
Field, the Dairy, and Music into
Agencies for their Ruin.

Agencies for their Ruin.
"The worst of the ten plaques of
Egypt was the destroying angel that at
midnight tapped his wing over the
land, and one died in each house, and
lamentation and mourning and woe went
through all Egypt" said DIR. Talmage
Sunday morning. "But a worse de-
stroying angel" he continued, "has
come. 1t sweeps over these cities. It
is the destroying angel of srrong drink.
The calamity of America is worse than
the calamity of Egypt. These fruits of
the earth that yet remain about the
pulpit, the decorations of our Thanks
giving, we used last Thursday as SYM
bols of the kindness of God. To-day
we use them for different purpose.
Who would think that the ripe clusters
of the vineyard or the sheaves of the
harvest field could be used in the worlds
death?
-Four fiends met in the lowest world
and resolved that the people of the earth
were too happy, and they sent forth
their four influences to the earth, ambi-
tious OF mischief. One was the fiend of
the vineyard. He came one morning
into grape field, and sat down on the
root of twisted vine in sheer discour-
agement. The grapes were ripe and
luscious, and there seemed life and
health in every bunch. While the fiend
sat there he clutched cluster and
squeezed it. Lo ! his hand was red. 1t
was the blood of the vineyard, emblem
attic of the blood of broken hearts.
And he squeezed all the grapes of the
vineyard and fermented the juice, and
the people came and drank and drank,
and when the fiend went out of the vine
yard he stepped over carcass after car
cass of dead men.
"And the second fiend went to the
grain field. And the people came and
dipped up the fiery liquid that he made,
and drank, and blasphemed, and stag
gered, and fought, and robbed, and
murdered. And this arch fend was so
much pleased with his work that he
changed his place of abode to a whisky
barrel
"The third fiend went into the pas
ture and saw the full udder, and as he
milked he thought of something that
would lure people to destruction. He
made milk punch. The children drank
it, and the temperance people drank it.
And the fiend of the dairy leaped upon
the shelves and danced until the long,
bright rows of shining milk pals clat-
tered.
"The fourth fiend entered the grog
shop and found few customers. But he
swooped and gathered up musical instru-
ments. The trombones played, the
cymbals clashed, the drums beat, the
bugles called, and the people crowded
and joined in the dance. each one with
a glass in his hand. The glasses cracked,
the floor broke, and the crowd dropped
into hell
"These four fiends then went back
down to hell's high carnival because
their work had been done. And the
fiends filed their glasses and clicked
them aud cried, Let us drink, drink,
drink everlasting prosperity to the
liquor traffic. Here is the way to dark
ness, to murder, and to death. Drink !"
DR.. Talmage spoke of the various suf-
ferings of the inebriate. First came the
loss of good name. Next was the loss
of the best society and of the approval
of the good. He spoke of strong, we'll
to-do-men who thought they could stop
the use of strong drink whenever they
chose, but who finally found themselves
slaves of debasing passion.
"As soon as it is whispered of a man
'he drinks, he begins to go down. What
clerk can get position with such
reputation as, He drinks 2 When o
man is -fourths gone on the road
he wants to impress you with the idea
that he can stop at any time. He can't
stop. I had O dear friend who gave
thousands Of dollars to Bible societies
and asylums, but he was aslave to strong
drink. He had two attacks of del;rium
tremens. When the doctor told him if
he had third attack he would die, he
said, 'Oh l can stop at any time He
is dead. Rum The last thing he said
was, oh! 1 can stod at any time.' He
could not stop. Sometimes a man is
more frank. Such a one said, 1T is
impossible for me to stop. If you said
night unless had my fingers chopped
off, would say, Bring on your hatchet. ;
It is awful for man to wake up and
feel himself captive. Who will forget
that scene in this church few winters
ago of a man who stood up in the church.
The ushers led him to the door. Every
body saw that he was drunk. His poor
wife took his coat and hat and led him
out. He was formerly minister in a
sister congregation and he preached in
this city. Rum ! Don't tell the inebri-
ate there is no hell. He knows there is.
He is in hell now. God only knows
what the drunkards suffer What rep
tiles crouch around his shivering feet |!
What demons stand by his pillow This
is no fancy picture. 1t went on last
night. It is death some of you will
die unless you stop.
"When an inebriate wakes up in the
other world he will be thirsty. No mat
ter how poor he was in this world he
could get the five cents for a drink. But
where will he get drink in hell ? Dives
called for water, the inebriate calls for
rum. If fiend came here, went into a
rum-shop and went back into hell with
drop on the end of his wing, what a
fight there would be for the drop The
inebriates in hell will not suffer for the
loss of God, but for the loss of liquor. !"
DIR. Talmage believed the chief pun
ishment of the drunkard in eternity
would be the want of the drop of liquor.
The wailing cry, he thought, would be
for rum. He described the possible de-
light of the damned if the avenging
IL M