The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1888-05-15
DK. TALMAGE's SERMON
Cursing and Swearing.


tho sole of his foot unto his crown. And he
t.ot> him potsherd to scrape himself withal;
oi,d he sat down among the ashes. Then said
his wiic unto him, Dost thou still retain thine
integrity Curse God, and die."--Job 2:7-0.
\ STORY oriental and marvellous.
Job was the richest man in all the East.
He had camels and oxen and asses and
sheep, and, what would have made him
rich without anything else, seven sons
and three daughters. 1t was the habit
of these children to gather together for
family reunion. One day, Job Is think
ing of his children as gathered together
at banquet at the elder brothers.
house.
While the old man is seated at his
cent door, he sees some one running,
evidently from his manner bringing
had news. What is the matter now?
"Oh,'' says the messenger, "a foraging
oxenf:,nd the asses, and destroyed them
and bu!}chefed all tile servants except
n1ystit.'' Stand asidel Another mes4
sene,r running. What Is the matter
now? "Oh,' says the man, "the light
ming has struck the sheep and the shep-
herds, and all the shepherds are destroy
ed except myself" Stand asidel An
other messenger running. What is the
matter now3 "Oh," he says, ssthe
Chaleans have captured the camels,
and slain all the camel-drivers except
mysclf.'' Stand asidel Another mes
sengcr running. What is the matter
now? 'Oh," he says, 'sa hurricane
struck tho four corners Of the tent
where your children were assembled at
the banquet, and they are all dead,'
But
THE CHAPTER OF, CALAMITY
/.
has not ended. Job was smittsn with
elephantiasis, or black leprosy.A Tum-
ors from head to foot-forehead ridged
with tubercles-e eyelashes fall out
nostrils eXcoriated---voice destroyed
intolerable exhalations from the entire
body, until, with none TO dress his
sores, he sits down in the ashes with
nothing but pieces of broken pottery to
use in the surgery Of his wounds. at
this moment, when he. needed all en-
couragement and all consolation, his
wife comes in, in q fret and a rage, and
says: This is intolerablel Our prop
erty gone, our children slain, and now
you covered up with this loathsome and
disgusting diseased Why don't you
swear? Curse God and dep
All, Job knew right we'll that swear
ing would not cure. one Of the tumors
Of his agonized body, would not bring
back one of the destroyed camels,
would not restore one Of his dead chill
dren. He knew that profanity would
only make the pain more unbearable
and the poverty more distressing, and
the bereavement more excruciating.
But, Judging from :,
THE PROFANITY ABROAD
in our day, you might come to the con-
Clusion that there was some great ad-
vantage to be- reaped from profanity.
Blasphemy is all abroad. You hear it
in every direction The drayman swear
ing. at his cart, the sewing girl impre-
caying tho tangled skein, theaccount-'
ant cursinG the long line of troublesome
ing in the loft, swearing in the cellar,
swearing on, the street.. swearing In the
factory. Children swear. Men swear,
Women swear! Swearing, from the
rough calling on the Almighty in tho
low restaurant, clear up to the reckless
20 Lord!" Of a glittering drawing
room; and the one is as much blasphemy
as the other.
There ARE times when we must cry
out to the Lord by reason of our physi-
cal agony or our mental distress, and
that Is Only throwing out our weak
hand toward the strong arm Of a father.
It was no profanity when James A.
Garfield, shotdn thesW ashington depot,
cried out: "My God, what does this
meanP" There is no profanity in call
Ing out upon God in the day Of trouble.
In the day Of darkness, in the day Of
physical anguish, in the day Of bereave-
ment; but am speaking now Of the
triviallty anI of the reaklessness with
which the name Of God IS sometimes
used. . ~
TIE WHOLE LAND rs CURED
with It. A gentleman coming from
the far West sat in the car day after
day behind two persons who were in
dulging in profanity; and he made up
of their profanities, and at the end Of
two days several sheets Of paper were
covered with these imprecations, and
at the close Of the journey he handed
the manuscript to one Of the persons in
front Of him. us it possible" said
the man, ''that we have uttered SO
many profanities the last few days2"
"Itis," replied thegentleman. "Then,"
said the man who had taken the paper.
II will never swear again.
But ittisa comparatively unimport.
ant thing If a man makes record of our
improprieties of speech. The moro
memorable consideration is that every
improper word, every oath uttered, has
record in THO book Of Gods remem-
brance, and that the day will come
when all our crimes of aspeech, if unre-
pented or, will be our condemnation. 1
shall not to-day deal in distractions.
hate distractions. 1 am going to have
a plain talk with you, my brother,
about a habit that you admit to bo
wrong.
The habit grows in the community,
by young