The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-03-26
The Subject of His Sermon was Ref
ormation from Evil Habits.
Come Out of this Horrid Nightmare
of Iniquity and Sin.
There is a Glorious and Triumphant
Hope for You Yet.
Force OF Moral Gravltation Is In All
Of us, but There is Power in
Gods Grace to Over
come 1t.

CnrcAGo, H., March 25.-The Rev. T.
Dewitt Talmage, d. d., pastor of the
Tabernacle, Brooklyn, N. ", preached
here this evening. His subject was,
Reformation from Evil Habits" and his
text Proverbs xxiii., 35: "When shall
awake? I will seek it yet again." He
said:
With an insight into human nature such
sas no other man ever reached, Solomon, in
my text, sketches the mental operations Of
one who. having stepped aside from the
path OF rectitude, desires TO return. With
a wish for something better, he says
"When shall awake? When shall /
come ont out OF this horrid nightmare of
iniquity?" But seized upon by uneradi-
Gated habit, and forced down hill by his
passions, he cries out: 81 will seek IL yet
again. will try il once more"
Our libraries arc adorned with an ele-
giant literature addressed to young men,
pointing out TO them all the dangers and
perils Of life complete maps Of the voy-
age, showing all the rocks, the quicksands,
the shoals. But suppose man has al
ready made shipwreck; suppose he Is
already of the track; suppose he has al
ready gone astray, how Is he TO get back?
That Is a field comparatively untouched.
Propose TO address myself this evening
TO such. There are those in this audience
who. with every passion OF their agonized
soul, are ready TO hear this discussion.
Thoy compare themselves with what they
were ten years ago, and cry out from the
bondage in which they are incarcerated.
Now, II there be any in this house come
with an earnest purpose, yet feeling they
are beyond the pale OF Christian sympathy,
and that the sermon can hardly
be expected to address them,
then, Mt this moment, I give
them my right hand and call them broth
er. Look up. There is glorious and tri-
umphant hope for you yet. sound the
trumpet OF gospel delivennce. The church
Is ready 70 spread a banquet at your re-
turn, and the hierarchs Of heaven 10 fall
into line OF hammered procession at the
news OF your emancipation. So far as God
may help me, propose 10 show what are
how you are TO snrmount those Obstacles.
The first difficulty in the way OF your
return Is the force Of moral grayitaiion.
Just as there Is "a natural law which brings
down 10 the earth anything which you
throw Into the air, 30 there Is corre-
spending moral grayitation. In other
words. II is easier to 20 down than II Is 10
20 up; Il Is easier 10 do wrong than IL is 10
do right. Call 10 mind the comrades OF
your boyhood days--somc Of them good,
some Of them bad. Which most affected
you? Call 20 mind the anecdotes that you
have heard in the last five years-some OF
them are pure and some OF them are i'm
pure. Which the more easily sticks 10
your memory? During the years OF your
life you nave formed certain courses Of
conduct-some OF them good, some OF
them bad. To which style Of habit did
you the more easily yield2 Ali my
friends, we have 10 take but moment OF
seli-inspection 10 find out that there is In
all our souls force OF moral gravitation.
But that grayitation may be resisted. Just
as you may pick up something from the
earth and hold II in your hand toward
heaven, Just 30, by the power OF Gods
grace, asoul fallen may be lifted toward
peace, toward pardon, toward heaven.
Force OF moral gravitation In every one OF
ms, but power In Gods grace 10 overcome
that force Of moral grayiiaiion.
The next thing In the way of your re-
turn IL the power OF evil habit. I know
there are those who say II IN very easy for
them 10 give up evil habits. ! do not be.
lieye them. Here is a man given 10 in.
toxication. lie knows II IL disgacing his
family, destroying his properly. running
Il him, body, mind and soul. II that man,
being an intelligent man, and loving bis
family, could easily give up that habit,
would he not do sof The fact that he
does not give II up proves II u hard "a
j give II up. IL Is very easy thing 10 sail
down stream, the tide carrying you with
great force; but suppose you turn the boat
up stream, u II 70 easy then 10 row it2 As
long as We yield 10 the evil inclinatlons in
our hearts and our bad habits, We arc
sailing down stream; but the moment WI
try 20 turn, we put our boat In the rapid
Just above Niagara, and try 10 row up
stream. Take man given 20 the habit
OF using tobacco, ~ most OF you do, and
let him resolve TO stop, and he finds Il vcry
difficult. Twenty-onc years ago | qui
that habit and / would as soon dare 4
put my right hand In the fire ~ once &
indulge in Il. why7 Because Il was suol
atcuiblo struggle 10 get over t. Now, lei
aman be advised by his physician TO giy'
up the use OF tobacco. He goes arount
not knowing what TO do with himself. III
cannot add up line Of figures. He can
not sleep nights II seems AZ n the worl,
bad turned upside down. lie feels hi
business is going 10 ruin. Where he wa
kind and oblging he is scolding and fret
full The composure that characterize,
him has given way 10 fretful rcstlessnesa
and he has become complete hdget
What power IL Il that has rolled q wave 0
woe over the earth and shaken a porten
In the heayens7 lie has tried 10 stol
smoking. After while he says 81 an
going TO do s / please. The docto
4 doesn't understand my case. In
going back 10 the old habit.
And he returns Everything assumes u
usual composufe. His business seems !
brighten. Tho world becomes an atiractiv
4 place 10 live In. His children, seeing III
difference, hail the return Of thoir father
genial disposition. whnt wave of color ha
dashed blne into the sky, and grcennes
into the mountain foliage, and the glow
sapphire into the sunset7 What enchan