The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-08-07
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DlvINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
"How to Conquer."-Prcached at
Lake Maxinkuckec, Ind.)

Ce1J, Sk6UCneS Une u6uUdl operations oI Ouo
who, having stepped aside from the path of
rectitude, desires to return. With wish for
something better, he said: "When shall I
awake? When shall como out of this horrid
nightmare of iniquity!' But, seized upon by
uneradicted habit, and forced down hill by
his passions, he cries out: " will seek 1t yet
again. will try 1t once more"
Our libraries are adorned with an elegant
literature addressed to young men, pointing
out to them oil the dangers and perils of life
complete maps Of the voyage. showing all
the rocks, the quicksands the shoals. But
suppose a man has already made shipwreck;
suppose he is already off the track; suppose
he has already gone astray. How is re to
get back? That is q field comparatively un-
touched. propose to address myself to such.
There are those in this audience who, with
every passion Of their agonized soul, are
ready to hear such discussion. They COM
pare themselves with what they were ten
years ago, and cry out from the bondage in
which they are incarcerated. Now, If thero
be any here, come with an earnest
the pale of Christian sympathy; and that the
sermon can hardly be expected to address
them, then, at this moment I 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
deliverance. Tho church is ready to spread
banquet at your return, and the hlertTchs
of heaven to fall into line of hammered pro-
cession at the news of your emancipation.
So far as God may help me, l propose to
show what are the obstacles Of your return,
and then how you are to surmount those
obstacles. The first difficulty in the way Of
your return is the force of moral grayitation.
Just ns there is O natural law which brings
down to the earth anything you throw into the
air, so there is c corresponding moral gravl-
tation. 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 T.
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 memory?
During the years of your life you have
formed certain courses Of conduct-some of
them good, some Of them bad. To which
style Of habit did you the more easily
yield? Ah, my friends, we have to take but
moment Of self-inspection to find out
moral gravitatior! But that gravitation
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 gravftation in every one Of
US, but power in Gods grace to overcome that
forcs 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. do not believe them. Here
is man given to intoMcstion. He knows it
is disgracing his family, destroying his prop
erty, running him, body, mind and soul.
If that man, being an intelligent man,
and loving his family, could easily
not do so? The fact that he does not give
it up proves that it is hard to give it up. 1t
is very easy thing to sail down stream, the
tide carrying you with great forco; but sup
pose you turn the boat up stream, is it so easy
then to row it? As long as we yield to the
evil inclinations in our hearts, and our bad
habits, we are sailing down stream; but the
moment we try to turn, we put our boat in
the rapids just above Niagara, and try to
row up stream. Take man given to the
habit of using tobacco, as most OF you do,
and let him resolve to stop, and he fiuds it
very difficult. Twenty-seVen years ago quit
that habit, and would as soon dare to put
in it. Why? Because it was such a
terrific struggle to get over it. Now,
let a man be advised by his Iphysi-
clan to give up tho uso Of tobacco
He goes around not knowing what to do
with himself. He cannot add up a line Of
figures. He cannot sleep nights. 1t seems
as if the world had turned upside down. He
feels his business going to ruin. Where he
was kind and obliging he is scolding and
fretful. The composure that characterized
him has given way to fretful restlesSness
and he has become complete fidget. What
power is it that has rolled wave Of woe
over the earth and shaken portent in the
heavens? He has tried to stop smoking or
chewing! After while he says, II sun going
to do as please. The doctor doesn't under
stand my case. Pm going back to my 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, seeing the
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 sunset? What en-
chantment has lifted q world of beauty and
Joy on his soul? Ho has gone back to to-
bacco!
oh, the fact Is, as we all know in our own
experience, that habit is O taslnmaster; rs
long as we obey it, it does not chastise us;
but let us resist and we find we are to be
lashed with scorpion whips and bound with
ship cable, and thrown into the track of
bone-breaking Juggernauts! During the war
of 1912 there was ship set on fire just above
Niagara Falls, and then, cut loose from its
moorings it came on down through the night
and tossed over the falls. It was said to have
been a scene brilliant beyond all description.
Well, there arc thousands Of men on fire Of
evil habit, coming down through tho rapids
and through the awful night of temptation
toward tho eternal plunge. Oh! how hard it
is to arrest them. God only can arrest them.
Suppose man after five, or ten or twenty
years Of evil doing, resolves to do right? w by,
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 mem He bites his lip. He grinds his
teeth. He clenchcs his fist in his determine
tion to keep his purpose. He dare not look
at the bottles in the window Of wine store.
1t was one long, bitter, exhaustive, hand to
hand fight, with inaamed, tantalizing and
mcrcilcSs habit. When he thinks no is en-
tirely free, the old inclinations pounce upon
him like pack Of hounds with their muzzles
tearing away at the nanlls Of one poor rein
deer In Paris there is a sculptured repre-
sentation of Bacchus, the god of revelry. Flo
is riding on panther at full leap. Oh, how
suggestive Let every one who is speeding
on bad ways understand be is not riding a
docile and well-broken steed, but he is riding
monster, wild and bloodthirsty, going at q
death leap.
How many there are who resolve on bot.
ter life and say: "When shall l awaken
But, seized on by their old habits, cry: 81
will try it once moro; l will seek it yet
again~ Years ago there were some Prince
ton students who wero skating, and the ice
was very thin, and some one warned tho
company back from the air hole, and finally
warned them entirely to leave the place:
But one young man with bravado, after all