The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-04-08

the store and most OF the operatives in the
factory. The rapids OF temptation and
death rushing against that young man
forty miles the hour, and he in u irai boat
headed up stream, with nothing but
broken oar to work with. Unless Al
mighty God help them they will go under
A steamer fifteen hundred miles from
shore with broken ruddor and lost COM
pass, and hulk leaking fifty gallons the
hour, is better of than young man when
you have robbed him of his Bible. Have
you ever Noticed how despicably mean il
is TO take away the worlds Bible without
proposing substitute2 II is mcaner than
to come TO a sick man and steal his medi-
cine, meaner than TO come TO cripple aud
steal his crutch, meaner than to come to
paupor and steal his crust, meancr than TO
come to q poor man and burn his house
down. Ii is the worst of all larcenies to
steal the Bible, which has been the crulch
and medicine aud food and eternal home
to so many What generous and mag
unanimous business iniidelity has gone intol
This splitting up OF lifeboats and taking
away OF fire escapes and extinguishing OF
lighthouses.
come out and say TO such people,
"What are you doing all this ior2' "Oh,
they say. "Just for fun" II is such fun
to sec Christians try To hold on 10 their
Biblesl Many OF them have lost loved
ones, and have been told that there Is a
resurrcctionl Many of them have be-
lieved that Christ came To carry the bur
dens aud 10 heal the wounds OF the world,
and II is fun to tell them they will have TO
be their own savior. Think of the mean
est thing you ever heard OF; then go down
n thousand feet underneath II, aud you
will find yourself at the top OF pair OF
stairs a hundred miles long; 20 10 the
bottom OF the stairs, and you will find u
ladder thousand miles long; then 90 10
the foot OF the ladder and look OF proci.
pice half rs far ~ from here 10 China, aud
YOU will find the headquarters OF the
meanness that would rob this world Of its
only comfort in life, its only peace In
death and its only hope for Immortality
Slaughter young mans faith In God, and
there is not mWh more left TO slaughter
Now, what has become of the slaught.
erod2 Well, some OF them are In their
fathers or mothers house broken down
in health, waiting TO die; Others are in the
hospital; others aro In Greenwood, or,
rather, their bodies are. for their souls
have gone on TO retribution. Not much
prospect for young man who started life
with good health aud good education,
and Christian example set him, and OPP
portunity OF usefulness, who gathered all
his treasures and put them IN one box,
and then dropped II into the sea-
Now, how IL this wholesale slaughter 10
he sloppcd2 There Ia not person in the
house but Is interested in that qucsti on.
.sa..saalI NIl... ..t.a.af -
my sermon Is TO put weapon in each Of
your hands for your own defense. Wait
not for Young Mems Christian Associa-
tons TO protect YOU, or churches 10 pro-
tect you. Appealing TO God for help, take
care OF yourself.
First, have a room somewhere that you
can call your own. Whether II bc the back
parlor OF a fashionable boarding house, or
a room In the fourth story Of cheap
| lodging, caro- not. Only have that one
room your fortress. Lot not the dissipatoi
or unclcan step over the threshold. i
they come up the long flight Of stairs an,
knock at the door, meet them faco 10 FAC,
and kindly yet firmly refuse them admit
tancc. Have few family portraits on th,
wall. II you brought thom with you from
your country home. Have Bible ON the
stand. II YOU can piiord IL and you can
play on one, have an instrument Of music
--harp or flute, or cornct, or melodcon, or
violin, or piano. Every morning before
you leave that room, pray. Make that
room your Gibraltar, your Scbastopol,
your Mount Zion. Lot no bad book or
newspaper come into that room, any morc
than You would allow cobra 10 coil ON
| your table.
Take care Of yourself Nobody else will
| take care OF you. Your help will not come
up two or three or four flights Of stairs;
your help will come through the rooi.
down from heaven. from that God who,
In the 5000 years Of the worlds history,
never betrayed young man who tried TO
bo good aud Christian. Lot me say In
regard 10 your adverse worldly circum.
stances. In passing, that you are ON n level
now with those who are finally 10 succeed.
Mark my words, young man, aud think OF
| II thirty years from now. You will find
that those who thirty years from now are
the millionaircs Of this country, who are
the orators OF the country, who are the
poets Of the country, who are the strong
merchants Of the country, who are the
great philanlhropists Of the country
mghticst In church and state-aro this
morning on n level with YOU, not an inch
above, and you Ia slraitcncd circumstances
now.
llerschel earned his living 10y playing q
violin at parties, and In the intcnliCes Of
the play he would 20 out aud look up at
tho midnight heavens, the fields Of his im'
mortal conqucsts. George Stephenson
rose iron being the foreman In a cpllicry
to DO tho most renowned oi the worlds en-.
ginecu. No outfit, no capital 10 start With
Young man, 20 down 10 the Mercantile
Library aud get some books and read ol
what wonderful mechanism God gave Ia
your hand, In your foot, In your eye, In
your ear, and then ask some doctor 10 take
you into the dissectng.room and illustrate
10 you what you have read about, and
never again commit the blasphemy Of say.
ing you have no capital 10 start with.
Equipped Why, the poorest young man
In this house is equipped ~ only the Coo
of the universe could afford TO equip him
Then his body-aycry poor affair compared
with his wonderful sOul-oh, that Is wha
makes mo solicitous. ! am not ~ mucl
anxious about you, young man, because
you have ~ liltlo TO do with, as ! am
anxious about you because you have mucl
10 risk and lose or gain.
Ali when ! told you 10 take caro- o
yourself you misunderstood INC II yol
thought meant you are to depend upor
human resolution, which may bo dis
solved In tho foam oi the wine cup, o.
may be blown out with the first gust o
temptation. Here is the helmet, th
sword OF Lord God Almighty. Cloth
yourself in that panoply and you shall no
DO put 10 confusion. Sin pays well noithe
In This world nor the next, but right think
ing aud right believing aud right actin