Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-06
HOW T0GETON THE TRACK
EALNAGE'S ADVICE TO THOSE
OFF RECTITUDE's RAILS.

to Need to Il eep Dumping over thf
Crossties of sin on Account OF One
or Two Deraiiments-Evi Habits
Among the Obstacles to be Overcome
How Christianity Gives Repentani
Sinners Cold Chins-The Proudes'
Moment in Life.
CLEVELAND, o., Dec. 5.-Tae Rev. t.
Dewitt TSlmage, D. D., preached here
to-day. Following is his sermon; Sub
ket: "Of TracS-How 10 Get on Again"
Text: Proverbs xiii, 50: "W hen shall
awake? l will seek it yet again"
with an insight into human nature,
luch ss no other man ever reached, Solo
non, in my text, sketches the mental
operations OF one who, having stepped
aside from the path OF rectitude, desires
10 return. With q Wish for something
better, he said: "When shall l awake
When shall l come out OF this horrid
Nightmare Of iniquityW But seized upon
BY uneradicated habit and forced down
iii by bis passions he cries out: 81 will
Peek it yet again; l will try il once
more"
, Our libraries are adorned with an ele-
CANT literature addressed to young men,
pointing out 10 them all the dangers and
perils OF life--complete maps Of the VOy-
lxe. showing all the rocks, the quick
sands, the shoals. But suppose man
bas already made shipwrecK; suppose be
Is already of the track; suppose he has
already gore astray, now is he TO get
backt That Is field comparatively an
touched. 1 propose to address myself
his morning TO such. There are those in
this audience WHO, with every passion of
their agonlzed soul, are ready to hear
such a discussion. TneY compare them
belyes with what they were ten years ago,
Rnd cry out from the bondage In
which they are incarcerated. Now, il
there be any in this house, come
with an earnest purpose, yet feeling they
are beyond the pale Of Christian sympa-
thy, and that the sermon can hardly be
expected to address them, then, at this
moment, l give them my right hand and
call them brother. Look up. There Is
glorious and triumphant nope for you
yet. | sound the trumpet of Gospel de-
tiVerance. The church is ready TO spread
b banquet at your return, and the
bieraTchs Of heaven to fall into line OF
bannered procession at the news OF your
Emancipation. so far as God may help
me, | propose to show what are the OBJ
stacles OF your return, and then how you
are TO surmount those obstacles.
The first difficulty in the way Of your
return is the force OF moral gravitatiOD.
just as there is a natural law which
brings down TO the earth anything you
throw into the air, so there is CORE
spending moral gravitstion. In other
words, ii is easier to 20 down than it is to
coup; 1t is easier TO do wrong thaa it is
10 do right. Call to mind the comrades OF
your bOyhOod days-some OF them good,
BOme of them bad-which most affected
your Call 10 mind the anecdotes that
you have heard in the last five or ten
Fears-some OF them are pure and some
Of them impure. Which the more easily
sticks to your memory! During the years
Of your life you have formed GER
balm courses OF conGuct-some of them
good. some of them bad. To which
style OF habit did you the more easily
Eieldi All! my friends, we have to take
but a moment OF seli-inspection TO find
put that there is in all our souls force OF
moral gravitation. But that gravitation
may be resisted. Just as you may pick
up from the earth something and hold it
In yonr hand toward heaven, just so, by
the power of Gods grace. a soul fallen
may be lifted toward peace, toward par
don, toward heaven. Force OF moral
gravitation in every one of US, but power
moral gravItatiOn.
The next thing in the way of your re-
turn is the power of evil habit. l know
there are those who say it ls very easy tor
them to give up evil habits. | do not be-
lieve them. Here is man given to in
toxication. He knows it is disgracing his
family, destroying has property. running
bIm, body, mind and soul. If that man,
being an intelligent man, and Toying his
family, could easily give up that habit,
would he not do so? The fact that be
does not give it up proves it is hard 10
give it up. 1t is very easy thing to sail
down stream. the tide carrying you with
great force; but suppose you turn the
boat up stream, is it so easy then to row
It,: As long as we yield to the evil incli-
nations in our hearts, and our bad habits,
we are sailing down stream; but the
moment we try to turn, we put our boat
In the rapids just above Niagara, and
try TO row up stream.
Take man given to the habit of using
tobacco, as most OF you do, and let him
resolve TO stop, and he finds ii very
difficult. Twenty. one years ago l quit
that habit, and l would as soon dare u
put my riglt nand in the fire as once to
indulge in 1t. Why! Because 1t was
such terrific struggle to get over IT,
Now, let man be advised by his phYsI.
clan 10 give up the use Of tobacco. He
goes around not knowing what 10 do with
himself He cannot add up line of fig
nres. He cannot sleep nights, 1t seems
as If the world had turned upside down
lie feels his business IS going TO ruin
Where he was kind and obliging he il
scolding and fretful. The composurC
that characterized him has given way
TO frettul restlessness, and he has be
come a complete idget What power
IS il that has rolled wave Of woe over
the earth and shaken portent in
the heavens? He has tried to
stop smoking! After Will,
be says: 81 am going TO do as please.
The doctor doesn't understand my case.
Pm going back TO my old habit" And ht
returns. Everything assumes its usual
composure. His business seems T.
brighten. The world becomes an attrac-
tive place TO live in. His children, seeing
the difference, hail the return Of thcii
fathers genial disposition. What wave
OF color has dashed blue into the sky, and
greeauess into the mountain foliage, and
the glow OF sapphire into the sunset
What enchantment has lifted a world o.
beauty and JOY on his soul? He mas gone
back To smoking.
Ga! the fact Is, as We all know in oul
own experience, that habit ia taskmas
ter, NJ long AZ we obey il. II does not chas
tise US; but let us resist and We ind We
are 20 oe lasbed with scorpion whips anG
bound with ship cable, and thrown in tC
the track Of bone breaking juggernsuts
During the war OF 1872 there was shlp
Bet Cd FIRE just above Niagara Falls. and
then cut loose from its mo0rings, il cant
on down through the night and tossed