Morning journal and courier., 1885-07-16
SAM JONES ON TRUTH.
Extracts From a Recent Sermon De-
 lfvered in Murfreesborough,T Tenn.


 Extracts From a Recent Sermon De- livered in Murfreesborough, Tenn. From the Nashville Americans Report.1 l An idea is @ thought worked into shape ready for hand, tongue or foot. As you thinking about to-day and I'll tell you what | you'll be doing tomorrow; so, let me tell you, brethren, you'd better mind what you l are thinking about to-day if you know what's | good for you-if you would have any re- spect to what you may be doing tomorrow You partake of the nature of men and things by which you are surrounded. You are very much like the world around you like your circumstances and associates Place the worst man in Murfreesborough in good company and he'll be as good az anybody No man can stay with me for an hour and not be as good as am-and don't mean to say that 1 am over good. I only mean to say that in my presence or in the presence of any other minister of the gospel he will not swear. know no good man would-or, I should say, no gentleman would. I have overheard men swear who, on noticing my presence, would begin to beg my pardon. ''Poor man, have answered such, you'd 1 great deal better be on your knees begging Gods pardon-not mine."
 It is the world that shapes up morally. We partake of the nature of the things we associate with. Bring hither @ corpse and coffin and will soon be perfectly saturated with gloom; but surround me with the aroma of the beauty of flowers and their sweetness melts into my heart. The man who puts his mind and his eye on the truth and lives in an atmosphere of truth will as naturally speak the truth syrup will flow from a jug filled with syrup. It is what cometh out that de- fleth the man. It is these outgushings that show what we are.
 If there is one character I despise above all others it is 8 liar-all towns have their regular ''town har''-and I'd rather be the lowest town dog that roams the street at night than to be man you can't rely on word he says; one who couldn't tell the truth to save his life at three fair trials.
 How I love truthful man-trutbful in every act and word of his life! One who lives in, by, with and for the truthl His life becomes so wholly saturated with the truth that he couldn't tell falsehood if he were to try.
 I know an old fellow down in Georgia who thinks it no harm to tell lie about some things He makes the best witness in the world for he always testifes in behalf of the lawyer that calls him. His excuse is that directly after the war he swore that he had willingly set his slaves free, which was stu pendous lie, and he hasn't cared for lying since. A CruCQIuI man alWayS I0llS bQ6 GruGQ whether under oath or not.
 Truth, my brethren and sisters, is better than money-oh, so much better than mon ey. I never saw 8 real truthful man who couldn't get all the money he wanted, how ever poor he might be, while I have seen wealthy liars who couldn't get accommoda- ted at all.
 Oh, how I love the man who is true to his word, to his friends, to his God-who is true to truthl I have heard reports that I earn estly believed until some common liar would come along and repeat it, and then I wouldn't believe word of it. Laughter.
 Christianity demands truth in our inward hearts-Christianity is truthl I and you, and you, my brethren, are truthful only as true to God, to ourselves, to humani- ty. Better die than tell 8 lie. It doesn't take ten, a hundred, nor a thousand lies to constitute 8 liar. He who tells one lie is as much of liar as the man who tells a thou sand. A truthful child is tho greatest earth
 y blessing. Many children tell lies from fear of the switch. How gratifying to 8 pa- rent to have one truth telling child on whose word he can rely implicitly. I have known such little fellow, and when you take him on your knee and say, "You tell your father all about it, he'll split hair mile long to get at every truth in detail.
 We've got little one-horse Methodist preacher down in Georgia by the name of billiard. He's not very smart but when he tells thing he neither adds to nor takes from, and all the neighborhood believes him whatever he says. Such man is like pair of balances-he weighs every word he utters
 I am sorry for that husband who cannets rely implicitly on every word his wife canno And I am sorry for that wife who When be trust her husbands every word. V of one tween man and wife the veraeityJe but ittl doubted by the other there can Ter of respect love left and nothing whaterather weep owe M,1oI r low a her dead body than to kp6ent she might mak varicate as to any stater oh, sisters if we di to me. Oh, brotherss tell the truth while W in poorheuse let uf
 live. ,ith in its best sense and yo
 linbibe the tie life. Some men are true VIII live pgspects, but want a man who true in al - +r,, ol.roo+o-e i, M,rfraosbo,
 IheEg one of whom is a Methodist I ga oughShodist, for I never refer critically to an Neither denomination. I feel free to rebuk q Methodists and find that keeps me as bus as I want to be kept. Laughter. It's all I can find time to do to tote my own Methe dist skillet around, [Laughter.l
 Well, of those two characters I am speak r 1 ing about one is Methodist He prays i ! l his family, pays the preacher and goes prayer meeting. In fact he does everythin l 1 the church requires of him. But he swiI dies his neighbors every chance he getsl
 The other character is outsider, outsid I of the church, but he won't swindle anyon out of penny He is charitable and kint hearted and gives iberally to the poo ] l Which is the better man of the two you asl I Why, I'd better be like the big hearted, ger 5 | erous, manly sinner you say. And so woul ] I. And this excuse many keep out { 3 3 the church. But why be fool and be e \ Laughter. As for me, I'iil come into u church and pay Giouu GGiou what is due him, ths
 I'll pay the tElo world its dues. If l rob an
 bGouy it will be you-I won't rob God-aI : i every man out of the church who hasn't gi
 en his all to God is robbing God of all u
 dear father wants. Amen. Amen. B I I'll do right toward God and my neighbor
 1 for such man is in the army of Jesus Chri
 I and trying to do right by all.
 was called ''good" myself while out Ie the church. Oh, yes-I was good! "
 ! goodness on wheels. Laughter.
 rs But behold the absurdityi We have
 known men out of the church of whom ,f was said. ''He is good enough as he is al
 he believes it." He thinks himself, perhaI B. too good to join, but when pressed to join
 says, ''I'm too mean" Laughter. He ,r first one thing and then another; he is like to poor old OK in long, hot lane-all the gra he gets is what he bites through the crack
 the fence on either side. [Laughtsr.1 He h. neither in a garden of God nor in the devi le plantation. Laughter. lg Every man to occupy his true positi f. must be on the Lords side. Amen. Amer To I know merchant by the name of Lee. es I once saw a customer come into his store ], buy a blow and he asked whether the bla
 was hard enough. ''It seems to be too soft E. was Mir. Lees reply. Wasn't he stran c merchant I asked him why he hadn't to n the man that perhaps it was hard enough, 8. something of that sort, but he wouldn't t ss lie 1 should suppose a merchant of tn h 1 kind would feel lonesome in most places le lonesome about in spots. Laughter it A man can lie and never open his mout u That's the way 8 horse trader 1ies-n g. knowing that to keep his mouth shut Id the biggest sort of a lie. Laughter IS have heard men brag about cheating co le ductors out of ride and then the condr le tors, catching the disease, steal from t
 \ roads. Some fellows think they have do
 srnart trick if tha cnnductnr nverloo