The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1889-06-14
TABERNACLE PULPIT.
''Ruinous Company" the Subject on
Which DR.. Talmage Discoursed
Sunday.

BROOKLYN, N. Y, June 2.-The Rev. T.
De Witt Tnlmngc, u. D., preached at tho
Tabernacle to-day. After cxpounding tho
scriptures he gave out that popular hymn
by A. NJ. Toplady, beginning:
Your harps, ye trembling saints,
Down from he willows take.
He took for his text Proverbs xiii, 90
"a companion of fools shall be DESTROYED. y
Following is q verbatim report of the scr
NOM
May 1t please the court" said n con
victed criminal when uskcd If he Ind my
thing to say before sentence of death was
pissed upon him. may it please the court
bad company has been my ruin. I received
the blessings of good parents and, In return
promised to avoid all evil associations. Had
kept my promise should have been snvc
this shame and been ircn from the load o
guilt that hangs round me like IL vulturc
threatening to drag me To justice for crime.
yet unrcvcalcd. ], who once moved in tn.
first circles of society nnd have been III,
guest of distinguished public men, am lost
and all through accompany"
This is hut one OF the thousand proofs
that the companion of fools shall be lcs
troyrd. 1t is the invuriahlc rule. There is d
well man in the wards of hospital wler,
there are II hundred people sick with shI
fever, and he will not be so apt To take III,
disease as II good man would be smittc,
with moral distcmpcr If shut up with iniqui
tous companions.
IN oltirn tunes prisoners were her,ied to
ertl,cr in the same cell, hut each one learned
the vices of all the culprits, NO that instead
of being reformed by incarceration the dn,
oflberation turned them out upon socet,
beasts, not men
We may. in our places of business, be com
PEELED to talk to and mingle with bad men
but he who deliberately chooses to nssociat,
himsrlf with vicious people is engaged II
carrying on II courtslip with Drlillla who's,
slen,s willclip ntlnIlthc locks of his strength
md he will he trippd into prriition. Sin /,
catching. is infections. is epidemic. | will IL;
You look over the millions of people now in
iiabtinE the earth. and challenge YOU Ia
show me II good man who. after one
year, has madechoireail,l consortcd with thu
wicked. 4 thousand dollars reward for one
such instance. care not how strong yu,ir
chnractrrmay be. Associate with gamblers,
you will become n gambler. Clan with bur.
glars and son will become II burglar. Ga
among tn" unclcan and You will Income lln.
clean. Not approaching the truth of my
text many young man has been destroyed
LIE wakes MP some morning in the great city
anu KNOWS no one except the persons tut U
whose employ h. has entered.
As h" goes into the store all the clerks
mark him. measure him, and discuss lin,
The upright young men of the store wsl,
him we'll. but perhaps wait for n formal in.
tr"d ur,ion, aud even hen have some ,lelirn
ry about inviting him into theirnssuciations
| l'ut I'll" bad young men of tho store nj tho
first opportunity approach and offer their
services. They patrulize him. They profess
| 70 know ali about the town. They will take
him anywhere that he wishes TO go-if he
will pay the EXPENSES. For ifa good young
man and II bad young man gn to some place
where they ought not The good young man
has invariably To pay the charges. At tho
moment tn" ticket is To he paid for or tho
champagne settled for tl" bad young man
fer Is around in his porkets and says: Il
have forgotten my purkrt-hook. In forty
eight hours after llr young man has entered
| th" store the bad fellows OF the establish
m"ni slap him ON the shoulder familiarity
and nj his stupidity in taking certain allli.
si"ls say: My young friend. you must lie
broken in;'' and they immediately proceed
1" break him in. Young man. in the name
q! God warn You o beware how you let Il
bad man talk fmiliarly with you. If such
an ON" slap yon on the shoulder familiarly
turn round and give him II whitening look,
until he wretch rr"urlirs in your presence.
Tier" is II" monslrnsty %! wirkc,lncss that
can stand unahnshe'l under the glance ot p,i
rty AMI honor. God keeps the ligltnngs of
heaven III his own scal'hnrl and no human
arm can WELD them: hut tod gives To every
young man Il light ming that h. may use. and
have been close observers will not wonder
why give warming to young men and say:
Beware of bad company
First, warn you to slun the skrptic-tll,
young man who puts Ills fingers in his vest
and laughs at your "ll-iashionrd religion
and turns over 10 some mystery of til" bibi'
and SAYS: Explain that. my pious friend
explain That" Aud VIII" says: "Nobod,
shall scare me- am not afraid 9th" flirturr
used to lmlieve i'll such things and so di,
| my fhth, aud mother. but have got Owe
| II. ICES. he has got over it. and ii YOU 81
in His company Il little longer you will re
OVERT too. Without presenting one argll
mcnt against the Christian religion sn,l
mrn will. by their jccrs and scoils and raiir;l
lures, destroy your respect for he religion
which WAS he strength of your futhor in hi
declining year and the pillow of your Oh,
mother when she lay Il dying. Alas. tim
will come when that clustering young infi,le
will have to die and then his diamond rln.
will flash no splcnior in the eyes of Death IA
he stands over tl" couch waiting for his soul
Those beautiful locks will he uncnmh"l upoi
the pillow and the dying man will say: =
can not die can not die. Death. stand
in. ready beside the couch. says: You mus
die: you have only halfa minute to live: lie
me hnr"it righ, nway-yonr soul No
says the young inidcl 'hcrr are my COL,
rings and these pictures: take them all.
pictnrcs.-ynur soul ""Stand back" say
the dying int,lel II will not stand back.
says Death. for you liav" only ten second
now to live; want your soul The dyin
man says: Don't breathe that cold nj
into my face. You crowd me too hard. |
is getting dark in the room. % God.
Hush, says Death: won said there wi,
piring intidrl. Too late to pray" say
Death; but three more seconds to live. an
] will count them Oil--One twu-thrp" II
has gone! Where: Whore? Garry him on
out, aud bury Him beside his father IN
mother. who died while holding fast til
Christian religion. They died singing: hll
the young mii,"l only said: Don't breath
that cold air into my face. You crowd Ill
too hard. II is getting dark in the room.
Again urge you to slrum the companion
ship of idIers. There are men liangin
around every store and office and shop VIII
have nothing to do. or act M il they ha
not. They are apt to come in vile
the firm are away and wish to engage yo
III conversation while You ARE engaged
your regular employment. Politely s;iggcs
to such persons that you have no time I
give them during business hours. Nothin
would please them 80 well as to have you r.
nounce your occupation and associate wit
them. Much of the time they lounge uroun
the cub-rooms or he doors ofcngille house,
or after the dining hour stand upon thrs tcI
of n fashionable hotel or IN elegant res
aurant, wishing to give YOU the idea tina
that is the place wher. they dine. but the
lower md lower day by day. Neither 10y in
nor by night have anything to do with til
oilers. Before yon admit man into YOU
acquaintance ask him politely: what d
you do for IL living?' II he snys "Nothing,
nm gentleman. look out for him. liem,
have IL very sott hand and very faultlcss M
pnrel, nnd harea higli-soundingfa family nam
but his touch is death. Before You know
YOU will in his presence be ashamed of yo,
work,iress. Business will become to yo
drudgery, and after awhilryou will lose yol
place. md atterwartl your responsibility IN
last of all your soul Illeness il next do,
to vilainy. Thieves. gamblers, burglar
shop.li'ters, and assassns are made from Il
class who have nothing to do. When Il
police go to hunt up and arrest Il c,lpr
they seldom go to look in among busy rlrrl
or in the busy carriag" factory. I'm, they :;
among the groups of oilers. The play is q
ing on at the theatrr. when suddenly there
II scufilcin the top gallery. What in it?
policeman has come in, and leaning over h;
tapped on the shoulder of n Young mi,
saying: 81 want you, sir He has II,