Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1888-05-05
REV DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOLLYN Dlv1NE's SUNDAY
SERMON.

croiCn And he took him q potsherd to
scrape himself aOithol; and he sat doton
among the ashes. Then said his !cife unto
him: 'DoSt thou still retain thine tntegrityf
Curse God and die. Book of job Ii, Z, g
and g.
A story oriental and marvellous Job was
the richest man in all the east. He had cam
els 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 thinking
of his children as gathered together at ban
quet at the elder brothers house.
While the old man is seated at his tent
door he sees some one running, evidently,
from his manner, bringing bad news. what
is the matter nova" 'fOh," says the messen-
ger, "a foraging party of Sabeans has
fallen upon the oxen and the asses, and
destroyed them and butchered all the SER
wants except myself" Stand aside. Another
messenger running. What is the matter
nows ''Oh," says the man, sthe lightning
has struck the sheep and the shepherds, and
all the shepherds are destroyed except my
SELF Stand aside Another messenger rum
ming. What is the matter nows "Oh," he
says, sthe Chaldeans have captured the
camels and slain all the camel drivers except
myself" Stand aside Another messenger
running. What is the matter nowF' ooh,
he says, % hurricane struck the four cor
ners 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 smitten with elephantiasis, or black
leprosy. Tumors from head to foot-fore-
head ridged with tubercles-ey clashes fall
out-nostrils excoriated-voice destroyed
intolerable exhalations from the entire body,
until with none to dress his sore, he sits
down in the ashes with nothing but pieces of
broken pottery to use in the surgery of his
de nc HI
all encouragement and all consolation, his
wife comes in, in fret and a rage, and says:
This is iDtolerable Our property gone,
our children slain, and now you covered up
with this loathsome and disgusting disease.
Why don't you swear9 Curse God and die. ,
All, Job knew right well that swearing
would not cure one of the tumors of his ago
nized body, would not bring back one of his
DESTROYED camels, would not restore one of his
dead children. He knew that profanity would
only make the pain more unbearable and the
poverty more distressing, and the bereave-
ment more excruciating. But, judging from
the profanity abroad in our day YOU might
come to the conclusion that there was some
ity.
Blasphemy is all abroad. You hear it in
every direction. The drayman swearing at
his cart, the sewing girl imprecating the
tangled skein, the accountant cursing the
at the store, swearing in the loft, swearing
IN the cellar, swearing on the street, swear.
ing in the factory. Children swear Men
swear. Women swear Swearing from the
rough calling on the Almighty in the low
restaurant, clear up to the reckless 'Oh
Lordi" of 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 physical agony or
our mental distress, and that is only throw
ing out our weak hand toward the strong
arm of father. 1t was no profanity when
james A. Garfield, shot in the Washington
depot, cried out: "My God, what does this
meanl There is no profanity in calling out
upon God in the day of trouble, in the day
of darkness, in the day of physical anguish,
in the day of bereavement; but l am speaking
now of the triviality and Of the recklessness
with which the name of God is sometimes
used. The whole land is cursed with it.
A gentleman coming from the far west sat
in the car day after day behind two persons
who were INDUCING in profanity, and he
made up his mind that he would make a
record Of their profanities, and at the end of
two days several sheets of paper were COW
cred with these imPrecations and at the close
OF the journey he handed the manuscript to
one of the persons in front of him. Ills it
possible" said the man, ''that we have ut
tered so many. profanities the last few dayss'
1t is" replied the gentleman. Then. said
AuC mum WIN Aldu ldken U0e Hld0uSCTlDL. -
will never swear again.
But It's comparatively unimportant thing
IL man makes record of our improprie-
ties OF speech. The more memorable consid.
GRAFTON is that every improper word, every
oath uttered, has a record the book of Gods
remembrance, and that the day will
come when all our crimes of speech IL unre-
pented of, will be our condemnation l shall
not to-day deal in distractions hate alb
stractions. l am going to have plain talk
with you, my brother, about a habit that
you admit to be wrong
The habit grows in the community in the
fact that young people think it manly to
swear. Little children hardly able to walk
straight on the street, yet have enough dis
tlnctiveness OF utterance to let YOU know
that they are damning their own souls or
damning the souls of others. Il is an awful
thing the first time the little feet are lifted
ment of hell
Between 10 and 20 years of age there il
apt TO come time when young man is as
much ashamed of not being able to swear
gracefully as he is of the dizziness Of his first
cigar. He has his hat, his boot and his coat
OF the right pattern, and now, if he can
only swear without awkwarkness, and as
well as his comrades he believes he is in the
fashion. There are young men who wall, in
an atmosphere of imprecation- on their
lips, under their tongues, nesting in their
shock Of hair. They abstain from il in the
elegant drawing room. but the street and the
club house ring with their profanities. They
have no regard for God, although they have
great respect for the ladies! NV Young
brother, there is no manliness in that The
most ungentlemanly thing man can do is to
swear -
Fathers foster this great crime. There are
parents who are very cautious not to swear
in the presence of their children: in a moment
OF sudden anger they look around to see If
the children are present when they indulge
IN this habit Do yol not know, oh father.
that your childis aware Of the fact that Won
sweari He overheard you in the next room.
or some one has informed him of your habit
lie Is practicing now. In ten years he will
swear as well as you do. Do not. oh
father, be under the delusion that Won NAV
swear and your son not know IT, Il is an
awful thing to start the habit in family
the father TO be profane, and then to have
the echo Of his example come back from other
generations; so that generations after genera
tons curse the Lord.
The crime is also fostered by mastar
mechanics, boss carpenters, those who are at
The head Of men in hat factories and in dock
yards, and at the head Of great business
establishments. When You 20 down TO look
at the work Of the scafolding, and Won fnd
u is not done right, what do you saw IL IL
not praying, il til The employer swears-
the employe Is tempted to swear. The man
saws. 81 don't know xvhy INV arnriovar