The Russellville Democrat., 1889-07-11
MAKING FRIENDS.
Dr. Talmage Diseourses on the Topic
 of Friendship.
The Refreshing Effects of True Huinsn Friendship and the Eternal Friend ship of a Loving God
 Contrasted.

 feet of Q recent sermon by Rev. T. De- Witt Talmage, delivered in the Brooklyn Tabernacle. His text was:
 A man thnt hath friends must show himself friendly. .-Prov. xviii, 2L
 About the sacred and divine art of mak-
 ing and keeping friends I speak-a sub- lect on which never heard of any one
 preochins-and yet God thought it of enough importance to putit in the middle of the Bible, these writings of Solomon.
 bounded on one side by the popular Psalms of David, and on the other by the writings of Isaiah, the greatest Of the prophets. It seems all matter Of hap hazard how many friends we have, or whether we have any friends at all, but there is nothing accidental about it. There is a law which governs the accretion and dispersion of friendships. They did not 'just happen SO" any more than the tides just happen Go rise or fall, or the sun just happens to rise or set. l. is a science, an art a God-given regulation. Tell me how friendly you are to others, and ] will tell you how friendly others are Go you. do not say you will not have enemies-iudeed, the best way to get ardent friends is Go have ardent enemies, # you got their enSlity in dosug the right thing. Good men and women will always have enemies, be- caUse their goodness is a perpetual re- bube to evil; but this nutagouism of foes wiI make more intense the love of your adbereuts. Your friends will gather closer around you because Of the attacks of your assailants. The more your ene- mics abuse you the better your coad- tutors will think Of you. The best friends we ever had appeared at some juRcture when we were especially bombarded.
 There have been times in my life when unjust assault multiplied my friends, as near os l could calculate, about fifty q minute. You are bound to some people by many cords that neither time nor eternity can break, and l will warrant that many of q pse cords were twisted by hands maley ut Human nature was shipwrecked a J0t fifty nine centuries ago-ths captain ot that craft tone Adamj aud his first mate running the famous cargo aground on a suag in the River Hildekel; but there was at least one good trait Of human nature that waded safely ashore from that ship wreck, and that is the disposition to take the part of those unfairly detlt with. When 1t is thoroughly demonstrated that some one is being prosecuted, although at the start slanderous tongues were busy enough, defenders finally gather around as thick as bees on trellis of bruised houeysuckle. If, when set upon by the furies, you can have grace enough 10 keep your mouth shut, and preserve your equipoise, and let others fight your battles, you will find yourself after awhile with whole cordon of allies. Had not the world given to Christ on His arrrfel at Palestine very cold shoulder there would not have been oue-half as many angels chanting glory out of the hymn books Of the sky bound in black lids of midnight. Had it not been for the heavy and jagged and tOrtuous cross, Christ would not have been the admired and loved of more people than any being who ever touched foot on either the east ern or western hemisphere. Instead, therefore, Of giving up in despair because you have enemies rejoice in the fact that they rally for you the most helpful and enthusiastic admirers. h other words, there is no yirulence, human or diabolic, that can hinder my text from coming true: A man that hath friends must show himself friendly"
 I upon the young a thought which may be- highly shape their destiny for the here and the hereafter. Before you show your- self friendly you must be friendly. I do not recommend a dramatized geniality. There is such thing as pretending to be sn rapport with others when we are their dire destructants, and talk against them and wish them calamity. Judas covered V-es N..- and cafesses may be demoniacal. Better lhe mythological Cerberus, the three- headed dog of hell, barking at us, than lhe wolf iu sheep's clothing it's brindled hide covered up by deceitful wool. and it's deathful howl cadenced into an innocent bleating. Disraeli writes Of Lord Man. sred, who, after committing many out fages upon the people, seemed suddenly lo become friendly, and invited them to banquet. After most of the courses of food had been served he blew a horn, which was iu those times signal for the t. bring on the dessort but ill his case it was the signal for assassins to enter and slay the guests. His pre- tended friendliuess was a cruel fraud; and there are now people whose smile is 3 falsehoOd, Before you begin to show Ns Get your heart right with God and man. and this grace will become easy. You may by your own resolution get your nature into semblance of this virtue, but the grace of God can sGblimely lift Tou into it.
 Sailing on the river Thames two vessels ran aground The owners of one got hundred horses and pulled on the ground sd ship, and pulled it to pieces. The owners of the other grounded vessel wait sd till the tides come in and easily foated the ship out of all trouble. So, we may pull and haul at our grounded human nature, and try to get il into better c0ndi- .iou; but there is nothing like the oceanic tides Of Gods uplifting grace to hoist us into this kindliness I am eulogizing. IF when under the fash of the Holy Ghost We see our own foibles and defects and jepravities we will be very lenieut and very easy with others. We will look into their characters for things commendatOry and not damnatory. + you would rub your own eye a little more vigorously you would find a mote ln IL, the extraction of which would keep you so busy you would not have much time tO shoulder your br0adaxe aud go forth to split up the beam in your neighbours eye. h a Chris tiau spirit keep on exploring the charac- ters Of those y0g meet, and am sure you will find something in them delightful and fl for a foundation of friendliness. You invite me to come to your country seat and spend a few days. Thank you!
 l arrive about noon of @ beautiful sum- mer day. What do you do: As soon as arrive you take me out under the shad- ow Of the great elms. You take me down to the artificial lake, the spotted trout floating In and out among the white pillar, ot the pond lilies. You take me to Inc stalls and kennels whe you keep your fine stock. and here are the Durham cattle and the Gordon settlers, nnd the steeds by paving and neighing, the only language they can speak, asking for harness or saddle, and short turn down the road. Then we go back to the house, and you get me m the right light aud show me the kensetts