National Republican., 1886-12-06
HOW IS HE TO GET BACK?
OFF THE TRACK-HARD TO GET ON
AGAIN-"wHEN SHALL AWAKE?"
DIR. Talmage Endenvors to Show What
Are tho Obstacles to Return to the
Path of Rectitudo, and How Those
Obstacles May bo Surmounted.

CLEVELAND, ONO, Dec. 5.-The Rev. t, De-
Witt Talmage, D. D., preached here to-day.
Following is hissermon Subject: "on Track
Hard TO Get on Again." Text: Proverbs xiii,
80, "When shall awake? l will seek 1t yet
again."
With an insight into human nature such as
no other man ever reached, Solomon, in my
text, sketches ths mental operations OF one
who, having stepped aside from the path OF
rectitude, desires to return. With wish for
something better he said; "When shall
awake? when shall come out Of this horrld
nightmare of iniquityT' But seized upon by
uneradicated habit and forced down hill by
his passions he cries out: ~ will seek 1t yet
again. Will try II once more"
Our libraries are adorned with an elegant
literature addressed to young men, pointing
out to them all the dangers and perlls OF life
rocks. the quicksands, the shoals. But sup
pose man has already made shipwreck; sup
pose he is already of the track; suppose he has
This Is a field comparatively untouched. i
propose to address myself this morning to such.
There are those In this audience who, with
10 hear such a discussions. I,They compare
themselves with what they, were ten
Years sgo, and cry out from the bondage
there be any in this house., come
with an earnest purpose, yet feeling they are
beyond the pale OF Christian sympathy, and
dress them. then, at this moment, give them
my right hand, and call them brother. Look
up. There is glorious and triumphant hope
Tor you yet. ] sound the trumpet OF Gospel
deliVerance. The church is ready TO spread
banquet at your return, and the hierarchs OF
heaven to fall into line of hammered procession
at the news OF your emancipation. SO fur as
God may help me, propose to show what are
the obstacles of your return, aud then how you
are to surmount those obstacles.
The first difficulty IN the way OF your return
is the force OF moral gravitation Just as there
is a natural law which brings down to the
earth anything you throw into the nir, SO there
is corresponding moral graVitation In other
words, II is easier to go down than 1t Is TO go
-upi II Is easier 70 do wrong than IL Is to do
right. Call TO mind the comrades OF your boy
hood days-somc OF them good some OF hem
bad-5yhieh most affected you? Call TO mind
the q. .Jecdo,es that you have heard In the last
no, reyor ten years-sOme Of them are pure and
: lne'fs TO pur memory? During the years OF
ter9N5 life you have formed certain courses of
/, SSPduGt-Some, of them good, some of them
"a, 10 which style OF habit did you the
nore easily yield? All my friends, we have
TO take but moment OF selfinspection TO find
out that there is in all our souls force of
be resisted. Just as you. may pick up from the
earth something ana hold 1t In your hand
toward heaven, Just so, by the pawer OF Gods
grace, n soul fallen may be lifted toward peace,
toward pardon, toward heaven. Force Of
moral gThvitatiOn In every one OF MS, but power
in Gods grace TO overcome that force OF moral
The next thing In the way of your return Is
the power OF evil habit. ] know there are
those who say tits very easy for them to give
up evil habits. l do not believe them. Here
Is man given to intoxication, He knows 1t
is dlsgrloing his family, destroying his prop.
eTty. running him. body, mind and soul. II
that man, being an intelligent man. and low
ing his family, could easily give up
that habit, would he not do
so2 The hlct that hc does not
give 1t up proves It is hard to give II up.
Il very easy thing to sail down stream, tie
tide carrying yOu with great force; but suppose
you turn the boat up the stream, Is II so easy
then to row ~ AS long as we Yield to the
evil incllnatons IN our hearts, and oar ld
habits, we are sailing down stream; but the
mOmt mt 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 to
bacCO, as most of you do, and let him resolve
to stop and ho finds 1t very difficult. Twenty,
one years ago quit that habit and would a,
coon dare to put my right hand IN the fire as
once to indulge In IL, Why? Because II was
such terrific struggle TO get over IL. Now
let a man be advised by his physician to give
" the use Of tobacco, He goes around mol
slowing what to do with him
nj. lie cannot add up line O
iICs-a He cannot sleep nights II seems al
oi3snd turned upside down, HC
lzing q sys.,