The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-06-12

that popular hymn by A. NJ. Toplady, be-
ginning:
Your harps We trembling saints,
Down from the willows take.
He took for his text Proverbs XIII, 20: ga
companion of fools shall be destroyed"
Following is a verbatim report of the SER
mon:
May it please the court" said con-
victed criminal when asked il he had any
thing to say before sentence of death was
passed upon him, "may it please the court,
bad company has been my ruin. re-
ceived the blessings of good parents and,
in return, promised to avoid all evil asso-
Citations. Had kept my promise l should
have been saved this shame and been free
from the load of guilt that hangs round
me like a vulture, threatening to drag me
to justice for crimes yet unrevealed. |,
who once moved in the first circles of So
ciety and have been the guest of distin-
guished public men. am lost, and all
through bad company"
This is but one of the thousand proofs
that the companion of fools shall be de-
stroyed 1t is the invariable rule. There
q
where there are a hundred people sick
with ship fever, and he will not be so apt
to take the disease as a good man would
be apt to be smitten with moral distemper
If shut up with ubiquitous companions
In Olden times prisoners were herded
together in the same cell, but each one
learned the vices of all the culprits, so that
instead OF being reformed by incarceration
the day OF liberation turned them out
upon society beasts, not men.
We may. in our places of business, be
compelled to talk to and mingle with bad
men; but he who deliberately chooses to
associate himself with vicious people is en-
gagged In carrying on a courtship with
Delilah whose shears will clip off all the
locks OF his strength, and he will be
tripped into perdition. Sin is catching. is
infectious, is epidemic. / will let you look
over the millions of people now inhabiting
the earth. and challenge you to show me
good man who, after one year. has made
choice and consorted with the wicked. A
thousand dollars reward for one such in
stance. l care not how strong your char
acter may be. Associate with gamblers,
you will become a gambler. Clan with
burglars and you will become burglar
Go among the unclean and you will be-
connesunclean. Not approaching the truth
of my text, many young man has been
destroyed. He wakes up some morning
in the great city and knows no one except
the persons into whose employ he has en-
tered.
As he goes into the store all the clerks
mark him, measure him, and discuss him.
The upright young men of the store wish
him well, but perhaps wait for formal
introduction, and even then have some
ali L II
sociations. But the bad young men of the
store at the first opportunity approach and
offer their services. They patronize him
They profess to know all about the town.
They will take him anywhere that he
wishes TO go-if he will pay the expenses
For If good young man and bad young
man 60 to some place where they ought
not, the good young man has invariably to
pay the charges. At the moment the
ticket is to be paid for or the champagne
settled for the bad young man feels around
In his pockets and says: 81 have forgot
ten my pocket-book." In forty-eight
hours after the young man has entered
the store the bad fellows of the establish
ment slap him on the shoulder Familiarity,
and, at his stupidity in taking certain allu-
sions, say: 'My young friend, YOU must
be broken in" and they Immediately
proceed to break him in. Young man, in
the name of God | warn you 10 beware
how you let bad man talk Familiarity
with you. If such an one slap you on the
shoulder familiarity turn round and give
him q whitening look, until the wretch
crouches in your presence. There is no
monstrosity OF wickedness that can stand
unabashed under the glance of purity and
honor. God keeps the lightnings OF
heaveni IN His own scabbard and no human
arm can WELD them; but God gives to
every young man lightning that he may
use, and that lightning is an honest eve.
Those who have been close observers will
not wonder why give warning 10 young
men and say: Beware of bad company"
First, | warn you to shun the skeptic-
the young man who puts his fingers in his
vest and laughs at your old-fashioned re-
ligion and turns over 20 some mystery of
the bible and says Explain that. my
pious friend; explain that" And who
says: Nobody shall scare me; l am not
afraid of the future | used to believe in
such things and so did my father and
mother, but have got over II. Yes, he
has got over it, and ii you sit in his COM
pany little longer you will get over il,
too. Without presenting one argument
against the Christian religion such men
will, by their jeers and SCOTS and carica-
lures, destroy your respect for the religion
which was the strength OF your father in
bis declining years and the pillow OF your
old mother when she lay a-dying Alas
time will come when that clustering
young inhdel will have TO die, and then
bis diamond ring will flash no splendor in
the eyes OF Death as he stands over the
couch waiting for his soul. Those beauti-
ful locks will be uncombed upon the pill
low and the dying man will say: 81 can
not die--I cannot die" Death, standing
ready beside the couch, says: "You must
die; you have only half minute TO live
let me have II right away-your soul.
NO" says the young infidel, there are
my gold rings, and these pictures take
them ALL" mo" says Death, "what do
care for pictures l-your soul" "Stand
back, says the dying infidel. 81 will not
stand back, says Death, "for you have
only ten seconds now TO live; want your
soul" The dying man says: Don't
breathe that cold air into my face You
crowd me too bard. IL is getting dark i'm
the room. 0 Godw "Hush, says Death
''you said there was no God" "Pray for
me-" exclaims the expiring inhdel. "Too
late 20 pray" says Death; "but three
more seconds 10 live, and ] will count
them of-one -two-three" He has
gone Where7 Where? Carry him out
--out, and bury him beside his father and
mother, who died withholding fast 10 The
Christian religion. They died singing;