Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1889-07-27
HOW TO CONQUER.
SERMON eY Or. TALMAoE, SUNDAY,
JULY 2t, 1889.

Great Crowds Arc Present % Hear the
Drookiyn Divine rrcach-ren of Ser
mon. "whca shall . Awaken WIN
Seek u Vet Again."
LAKE MAxINKUcKEE. Ind, July 2l.
-Rev. 7. dc Witt Talmage preached
at Culver Park assembly, this place. to-
dny. great crowds Of people being pres.
ent from Chicago. indianapolis and
the surrounding regions. His subject
was: How 10 Conquer The text was:
when shall | awakci will seek il
yet again" Prov. yy;i;. IS. Tho al.
oqucnt preacher saia:
With an Insight into human nature
such as nO other man ever reached.
IN my text. sketches the
mental operations of one who. having
stepped aside from the patl, Of recti-
tudc. desires 10 return. With wish
0r something better. hc said. when
shall | awakcl When shall come
out Of this horrid nightmare Of iniqui-
tyr But. seized upon by uncradictcd
habit. and forced down hill By his
passions. lie cries out: II will seek il
yet again. | will try il once more"
Our libraries nre adorned with an
elegant literature addressed TO young
men, pointing out 10 them AL the dan.
gers and pcrils Of life complete maps
Of the voyage. showing all the rocks,
the quicksands. the shoals. But sup
pose n man has already made ship.
wreck; suppose he is already oil the
track; suppose he has already gone
astray. How is hc To get backi That
is field comparatively untouched. ],
propose to address myself TO such.
There arc those in this audience who.
with every passion Of their agonized
soul. are ready TO hear such discus
sion. They compare themselves with
what they were ten years ago,
and cry out from the bondage in
which they arc incawcrltcd. Now. il
there be any here. como with un earnest
purpose. yet feeling they arc beyond
the pale Of Christian sympathy, and
that tho sermon can hardly bc ex-
pcctcd 10 address them. then. ut this
moment. l give them my right hand,
and call them brother. Look up.
There is glorious and triumphant hope
for you yet. sound the trumpet Of
Gospel dclivcrance. The church is
ready To spread banquet at your re-.
turn, and the hicrarchs Of heaven TO
fall into line OF hammered procession
at the news Of your emancipation. So
far as God may help me. propose
to show what are the obstacles
OF your return. and then how
you are 10 surmount those oh
stacles. Tho first difficulty in the
way Of your return is the force of
moral gravitation. just as there is "a
natural law which brings down to the
earth anything you throw into the
air, No there is IA corresponding moral
gravitation. In other words. il is
easier to go down than it is TO GO up;
il is easier To do wrong than il is 10
do right. Call u mind the comrades
Of your boyhood days-son,c Of them
good. some Of them bad which most
affected youl Call To mind the anec-
dotcs that you have heard in the last
five or ten ycars-some Of them are
pure and some OF them impure.
Which the more easily sticks 10
your memory! During the years of
your life you have formed certain
courses Of conduct some OF them good,
sOmc OF them bad To which style of
habit di' you the moro easily yield! All,
my friends. we have to take but mo-
ment OF self inspection tn find out that
there is III all our souls force Of
moral graviiaiion. But that gravita.
ton may DO resisted. Just as you may
pick up from tho earth something and
hold il in your hand toward heaven,
just SO. by the power Of Gods grace, a
soul fallen may bc lifted toward peace,
toward pardon. toward heaven. Force
Of moral gravitation in every one of
us, but power in Gods grace to over
come that force Of moral gravitation.
THE POWER OF EVIL HABIT.
The next thing in the way of your
return is the power Of evil habit.
know there are those who say il is very
easy for them TO give up OWL habits
do not believe them. Here is man
given Ia intoxication. Hc knows il is
his family. destroying his
property, running him. body, mind
and soul. If that man. being an in.
telligcnt man. and loving his family.
could easily give up that habit. would
no not ,lO sof The fact that he does
not give il up proves that il is hard "a
give it up II Is very easy thing 10
sail down stream. the tide carrying
you with great force; but suppose you
turn the boat up stream. is il so easy
then Ia row in AS long as We
yield 10 tho evil inclinations in our
hearts. and our bad habits. we are
sailing down stream: but the moment
we try 70 turn. We put our boat in the
rapids just above Niagara and try To
row up stream. Take u man given 10
tho habit OF using tobacco. as most Of
you do, and let him resolve to stop.
and he finds il very difficult. Twcn.
ty-scvcn years ago ] quit that habit,
and ] would as soon dare 10 put my
right hnnd in the fire as once TO in
dulge in II. WhyI Because il was
such terrific struggle 10 get over it.
Now. let man bc advised by his ply
sician 10 give up the use Of tobacco.
He goes around not knowing what TO
do with himself. He cannot add up n
line of figures. He cannot sleep
nights. Il seems as il the world had
turned upside down. He feels his
business is going 10 ruin. Where he
was kind aud obliging he is scolding
and fretful. The eomposurc that char
acterized him has given way to q frctful
rcstlcssness. aud hc has become COM
plcte ldget. What power is il that
has rolled "a wave Of WOO over the
earth aud shaken n portent in the
heavensf lie has tried To stop snok-
ing or chewing! After while he
says. II ann gong 10 do as l please.
Tile doctor doesn't understand my
case I'm doing back 10 my old hab-
it," And he returns. Everything
assumCs its usual composure Ills
business seems 10 brighten. The
world lrcomcs an attractive place 10
live in. Ills children. seeing the dif.
ference. hail the return Of their IA.
Tiers genial disposition. What wave