The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-04-12
TALMAGE'S SERMON,
The Weekly Discourse of the Great
Brooklyn Preacher
Subject: "RcfOrmati0mF Fro m
EVIL Habits" preached
at Chicag0.)


yet again. xiii. IS.
With an insight into human nature such
as 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 wish
for something better, he says: "When shall
| awakei When shall come out Of this
horrid nightmare of iniquity" But seised
uroa by uneradicated habit, and forced
down hill by his passions. he cries out: II
VIII seek 1t yet again. l will try it once
more"
Our libraries are adorned with ali elegant
literature addressed TO young men, pointing
out to them all the dangers and perils OF life,
complete maps Of the voyage, showing all
the rocks, the quicksands, the shoals. But
suppose man has already made shipwreck;
he has already gone astray, how is he to get
back! That is field comparatively UNI
touched propose to address myself this
evening to such. There are those in this, au-
dience who, with every passion of their
agonized poul, are ready to hear this discus
sion. They compare themselves with what
they were ten years ago, and 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 sympathy, 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
hope for You yet. l 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 ban
nered procession at the news of your emanci.
patton. SO far as God may help me, pro-
pose to show what are the obstacles of your
return. and then how you are 10 surnount
those obstacles.
The first difficulty in the way of your re,
turn is the force Of moral gravitation. Just
as there isa natural law which brings down
to the earth anything which you throw into
the air, so there is a corresponding moral
gravitaton In other words, it is easier to
go down than it is to go up; it is easier to do
WRONG than it is to do right. Call to mind
the comrades of your boyhood days-some of
them good, some of them bad. Which most
affected you! Call to mind the anecdotes
that you have heard in the last FIVE or ten
years-some of them are pure and some of
them impure. Which the more easily sticks
to your memorya During the years of your
life you have formed certain courses of con-
duct-some of them good, some Of them bad
To which style of habit did you the more
easily yieldl All! my friends, we have to
take but moment Of self inspection to find
out that there is in all our souls force Of
Ahoi al sIdVloaeiou. Dut tuht RTaVltatlon
may be resisted. Just as you may pick up
from the earth something and hold it in your
hand toward heaven, just so, by the power
OF Gods grace, a soul fallen may be lifted
toward peace toward pardon, toward heaven.
Force of moral gravitation in every one Of
us, but power in Gods grace to overcome
that force Of moral gravitation.
The next thing. in the way Of your return Is
the power of evil habit. I know there are
those who say it is very easy for them to give
up evil habits. l do not believe them. Here
is q man given to intoxication. He knows it
is disgracing his family, destroying his prop.
erty, running him, body, mind and soul II
that man, being an intelligent man, and lov.
ing his family, could easily give up that
habit, would he not do SO The fact that he
does not give it up proves it Is hard to give it
up. 1t is very easy thing to sail Gown
stream, the tide carrying you with great
force; but suppose you turn the boat UP
stream, is it SO easy then to row it9 As long
as we yield to the evil inclnations in our
hearts and our bad habits, we are sailing
down stream; but the moment we try to
turn, we put our GOAT in the rapids just above
Niagara, and try to row up stream. Take a
man given to the habit Of using tobacco, as
most of you do, and let him resolve to stop,
and he finds it very difficult Twenty one
years ago ! quit that habit, and / would
as soon dare to put my right hand in the fire
IS once to indulge in it. Whys Because it
was such terrible struggle to get over it.
Now, let man be advised by his physician
to give up the use of tobacco. He goes around
not knowing what to do with himself He
cannot add up line Of figures He cannot
sleep nights. 1t seems as if the world bad
turned upside down. He feels his business is
going to ruin. Where he was kind and obllg.
ing, he is scolding and fretful. The com.
posure that characterized him has given way
TO fretful restlessness, and he has become a
complete fidget. What power is it that has
rolled wave of woe over the earth and
shaken portent in the heavensi He
has treed to stop smoking. After a while
he says: II am going to do as l please.
The doctor doesn't understand my case.
I'm going back to the old habit And
he returns. Everything assumes its usual
composure. His business seems to brighten
The world becomes an attractive place
to live in. His children, see ng the diff.
ference, hail the return of their fathers genial
disposition. What wave of color has dashed
blue into the sky, and greenness into the
mountain foliage. and the glow of sapphire
into the sunsetl What enchantment has
lifted world Of beauty and Joy on his soul,
He has gone back to smoking. Oh the fact
is, as we all know in our own experience, that
habit is taskmaster: as long as we obey it
IL does not chastise us; but let us resist, and
whips, and bound with ship cable, and thrown
into the track of bone breaking Juggernauts.
During the war Of 1872 there was ship set
on fire just above Niagara Falls, and then,
cut loose from its moorings, 1t came on
down through the night, and tossed over
the falls. 1t was said to have been q
scene brilliant beyond all description. Well,
there are thousands Of men on fire of evil
habit coming down through the rapids and
through the awful night Of temptation to-
ward the eternal plunge. Oh, how hard 1t
is to arrest them. God only can arrest them.
Suppose a man after five, or ten, or twenty
years of evil doing resolves to do right
Why, all the forces of darkness are allied
against him. He cannot sleep nights. He
gets down on his knees in the midnight and
cries: "God help mer' He bites his lips. He
grinds his teeth. He clenches his fist in de-
termination to keep his purpose. He dare
not look at the bottles in the windows Of a
wine store. 1t is one long, bitter, exhaustive,
hand to hand fight with inflamed, tantaliz-
ing and merciless habit When be thinks
he is entirely free the old inclinations pounce
upon him like pack of hounds with their
muzzles tearing away at the fanks Of one
poor reindeer. In Paris there Is a sculptured
representation of Bacchus, the god Of
revelry. He is riding on panther at
full leap. Oil how suggestive Let every
one who is speeding on bad ways
well broken steed, hut he is riding monster
wild and bloodshirsty, going at dealt. leap
How many there are who resolve on better
life, and say: when shall l awakeP
out, seized on by their old habits, cry: al
will try it once more; will seek it yet
lgain" Years ago there were some Prince
ton students who were skating and the ice
was very thin, and some ons warned the
company back from the air hole, and
finally warned them entirely to leave
the place. But one young man with bravado
after all the rest had stopped, cried out
lone round more !" He swept around, and
went down, and was brought out corpsa
MY friends, there are thousands and tens ol
thousands Of men losing their souls in that
way 1t is the one round moro
have also TO say that If a man wants ts
return from evil practices society repulses
him Desiring to reform, be says: Now.
will shake off my old associates, and I viii
find Christian companionship.n And be ap
pears at the cburc!, door some Sabbath day
and the usher greyts him with lonk as much
a. to say: "Why, you herei You are TIN
last man ever expected to see at church
Come, take this seat right down by ths
door" Instead Of saying, Good morning
/ am glad you are here. Come, | will give
you first rate seat. right up by the pulp. t >
Well, the prodigai, not yet discouraged, en-.
ters prayer meeting, and some Christian
man, with more real than common sense
says: "Glad to see you; the dying thief wa,
psvsd and supposs thsrs ID marcy for you